


When Steven Calls

by Arcadii



Category: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (TV), Iron Man (Movies), The Avengers (Marvel Movies), Thor (Movies)
Genre: Adult Content, Alcohol, Death, Explicit Sexual Content, F/M, F/M (Implied), Flirting, Gruesome Death, Halloween, Human AU, Insanity, M/M, OOC, Oral Sex, Suicide (mentioned), m/m - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-01
Updated: 2018-10-31
Packaged: 2019-07-21 01:46:57
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 28,301
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16149968
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Arcadii/pseuds/Arcadii
Summary: Tony is visiting his ex-husband, Loki, and daughter, Natasha, in their sleepy town of Haddonfield.  Can Tony save his family when danger from the past comes back to haunt them from the grave?





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> A/N: This is an adaptation of a 1972 television movie titled, _When Michael Calls_ from a novel (same title) by John Farris. I borrowed the town of Haddonfield from the movie _Halloween_ … thank you, John Carpenter!
> 
>  
> 
> Disclaimer: I don’t own them and I don’t earn any money from this, just the lascivious pleasure I get from picturing them in my very abby-normal brain.

Title: When Steven Calls  
Author: Arcadii  
Beta: Tinkmom224  
Universe: AU/Agents of SHIELD, AU/Avengers, AU/Ironman, AU/Thor  
Pairings: Tony/Loki, Phil Coulson/Sif, Clint/Maria, Ana Jarvis/Edwin Jarvis  
Cast: Ana Jarvis, Clint Barton, Colonel James “Rhodey” Rhodes, Darcy Lewis (mentioned), Bruce Banner (mentioned), Edwin Jarvis, Hela (mentioned), Hogun, Idunn, James “Bucky” Barnes, Jane Foster (mentioned), Jasper Sitwell, John Garrett, Loki, Maria Hill, Natasha Romanoff, Nick Fury (mentioned), Peter Parker, Phil Coulson, Sam Wilson (mentioned), Sif, Steve Rogers, Thor, Virginia “Pepper” Potts (mentioned)  
Disclaimer: I don’t own them and I don’t earn any money from this, just the lascivious pleasure I get from picturing them in my very abby-normal brain.  
Warnings: Adult Content, Alcohol, Death, Explicit Sexual Content, Flirting, F/M (implied), Gruesome Death, OoC, Oral Sex, Human AU, Insanity, M/M, Suicide (mentioned)  
Summary: Tony is visiting his ex-husband, Loki, and daughter, Natasha, in their sleepy town of Haddonfield. Can Tony save his family when danger from the past comes back to haunt them from the grave? A/N: This is an adaptation of a 1972 television movie titled, _When Michael Calls_ from a novel (same title) by John Farris. I borrowed the town of Haddonfield from the movie _Halloween_ … thank you, John Carpenter!

 

Chapter One

It was a crisp autumn day in Haddonfield, Vermont and the air carried a hint of frost as Loki Prins-Stark parked his laden green-paneled minivan next to an older-model Subaru Outback in the drive of his antique shop which also doubled as his home. His nine-year-old daughter, Natasha, came running out of the backdoor to greet him. “Daddy, daddy,” the diminutive redhead called.

“Hello, Darling, back up so Daddy can get out of the car.” Loki said chuckling as he carefully opened his door and unfolded his over six-foot frame. “Oomph,” he said when the breath was squashed out of him from the enthusiastic hug of his daughter. 

Giggling, Natasha asked, “Did you find the chairs you were looking for at the auction?” as she looped her black leather clad arm around her father’s waist.

Loki brushed a long, dark tendril of his wind-blown hair behind his ear as he wrapped an arm around Natasha’s shoulders so that they could walk together into the house. “Yes, and much more … that auction was a treasure trove and the Queen Anne chairs were in perfect condition; they’ll match the dining table that I found in Chesterton last week to a T. They’re being shipped to the governor’s mansion and should arrive on Tuesday while the rest of my bounty is in the back of the car.”

He gave her a gentle shake as he opened the door, “Now my girl, why have you not changed out of your school uniform and good leather coat into your play clothes?” He walked into his playfully vintage kitchen with the _harvest gold_ wallpaper and linoleum, _burnt orange_ appliances, and _avocado green_ Formica table. Looking up, Loki smiled warmly to his housekeeper and said, “Good afternoon, Idunn that smells heavenly,” as he motioned to the apple pie with his chin while unbuttoning and removing his olive-green pea coat. He then hung it on a hook under the black cat clock with rolling eyes that was by the door. Natasha took advantage of her father’s distraction and scooted out of the kitchen to go and change her clothes.

Idunn smiled at her young employer and motioned towards the hot pastry that she’d just removed from the oven, “It’s for your pheasant dinner tonight with Sif and Doc Coulson; they and the birds will be here in half an hour. There’s beet salad in the refrigerator and the au gratin potatoes are still baking. Everything will be ready to serve when your company gets here.” 

Loki watched the rail-thin older woman place the pie on a rack to cool. “Thank you so much for everything you do … I’d be lost without you, Idunn,” the brunet said earnestly.

She smiled back and gave the normally reserved young man a warm hug. “Well, when my mister died I was at loose ends needing someone to look after and then you moved back with young Nat in tow. Seems to me the fates stepped in and filled the empty spots.” She tapped her forehead with her middle finger a couple of times trying to encourage her memory before adding, “Oh, were you able to get those chairs you wanted for Governor Potts’ dining table? She called asking about them earlier.”

Loki inhaled deeply savoring the delicious aromas of cinnamon, apples, and baking cheese which made his stomach rumble longingly. “Yes, I was able to pick them up for a pittance when it became known who I wanted them for. Virginia Potts is a very powerful woman with an equally powerful reputation … people will bend over backwards to ingratiate themselves to her.”

Idunn laid the potholders on the table as she took off her apron before glancing up cautiously and asked, “Didn’t she work with your husband when you lived in New York?”

Loki sighed indulgently, “My **ex-husband** , and yes, she worked with Tony until she decided to go into politics and moved back to Vermont; many say she’s the best governor that the state has ever had.

Idunn reached for her plaid coat on the hook next to Loki’s as she steered the conversation back in the direction she wanted while surreptitiously watching her employer. “Only met him for a few minutes when he came up to see Nat on her birthday, but Mr. Stark seems like a nice man and Natasha simply adores him. Maybe he might come back to work with Governor Potts and then he’d be closer …”

Loki snorted, “Tony’s attentive now because I’ve taken something away from him, but when he’s working he’s like a man made of iron and single-mindedly thinks of nothing else except his company. I’ll not put myself or my daughter through that again. Besides, Natasha loves it here and you have to admit it’s safer than trying to raise a child in New York City.”

Shouldering into her coat and lifting her purse off the counter the older woman wasn’t surprised to see a shadow of doubt cross Loki’s pale features. “Well, you’re both happy here so you must’ve made the right decision.” Nodding to him, Idunn opened the door, “Enjoy your dinner, Loki, and I’ll see you on Monday.” 

Loki had taken a bottle of Riesling out of the double doored refrigerator and poured himself a glass, lost in thought he distractedly motioned it in the older woman’s direction. “Thank you again, Idunn, and I hope you have a good weekend,” he said just before his housekeeper gently closed the door behind her.

 

~*~*~*~*~

 

Quiet as a mouse, Natasha had climbed her favorite oak tree where she’d been spying through what was left of the fall leaves on the handyman as he’d checked for loose shingles on the roof. Her suspicions roused, she watched as the muscular blond now looked in the windows at the front of the house which held her father’s antiques and interior design business as he stood on a ladder and cleaned out the gutters. Suddenly the young girl was distracted by a copper colored sports car speeding up the lane. Jumping out of the tree and already on the run with the thoughts of what the handyman was doing pushed back to think on later, she squealed as she jumped up and down, “Poppy!”

The Audi R8 pulled into the driveway behind a faded red pickup truck with, Coulson Farms, emblazoned over its door. Natasha stood back as her father stepped out of the expensive coupe and grabbed her under her raised arms, spinning around in circles. The burnt amber eyes of Tony Stark sparkled with happiness as he pulled his daughter to him and chuckled, “Missed you, Princess,” before kissing the red-head on the top of her wind-mussed hair.

“Are you here to take me to the Halloween Carnival on Monday?” She asked as she disentangled herself from the hug so that she could look into his face.

He laughed, “What else would I be doing, but escorting my favorite daughter to her school party and then trick-or-treating after?”

The girl rolled her emerald eyes and huffed, “I’m your only daughter, and you’ve never taken me trick-or-treating before.”

He ruffled her short hair and grinned as annoyed, she smoothed it back into place. “Well, yeah, I used to let my work take me away from you, but not anymore … I’m now making you and Daddy my priority. Speaking of …” he glanced around while scratching the sculpted goatee on his chin, “where is Daddy?”

Natasha cocked her head, surveying her father, “Daddy’s in the kitchen with Doc Coulson and his wife, Sif.” Astute beyond her years, the young girl gauged the man before her as she asked, “Poppy, how can Daddy and I be your priority if we don’t live with you anymore? And why don’t we … all still live together, I mean?”

Tony knelt until he was level with his daughter and his whiskey colored eyes gazed earnestly into hers. “Sometimes families don’t live together even though they still love each other because the parents grow apart. That doesn’t mean they aren’t still a family and that definitely doesn’t mean that your Daddy and I won’t always be here for you, Princess.” 

With a nine-year old’s wisdom, Natasha decided to let her father off the hook with an, “And I’ll always be here for both of you guys, too, I promise. Now I’m getting hungry and I bet Daddy will be calling me in for supper any minute. Do you like peasants?” At her father’s puzzled look Natasha explained, “Doc Coulson brought over roasted peasants and Idunn made apple pie for dessert. Can you eat dinner with us, Poppy?”

His heart speeding up at the chance of being together with his family for the normality of a meal, Tony tried to keep the excitement out of his voice. “Well, we’ll see if that’s okay with Daddy, alright, Princess?”

She grabbed his hand and began to run, dragging him behind her to the backdoor. Without stopping, she yanked it open and pulling him inside with her announced, “Daddy, Poppy’s here and I invited him to our ‘peasant’ dinner.”

The clatter of dropped silverware cut the air as Loki turned a shocked face toward them and he stopped setting the vintage table where an older man was sitting. That man chuckled as he smirked and said dryly, “I’m sure you meant ‘pheasant’ dinner, Sweetheart.” A tall woman with her long, dark hair confined in a tight braid sniggered while transferring some type of crispy-skinned fowl from a roasting pan and onto a serving platter. 

The atmosphere was heavily charged while the adults all stared uncomfortably at each other. As he bent to pick up the fallen cutlery, Loki asked quietly, “Natasha, please go upstairs and get washed up for dinner.”

“But Daddy, can’t I just wash my hands in the kitchen sink like I usually do?” The little redhead asked reasonably. Loki gave his daughter “the look” and without another word she sighed and said grudgingly, “Yes, sir,” before trudging dejectedly through the cream-colored swinging door of the kitchen to vanish out of sight. 

Rounding on the handsome brunet wearing a double-breasted camel haired coat as he leant against the doorjamb smirking at him, Loki spat out, “Honestly Tony, you can’t just show up without calling first!”

His warm eyes drinking the sight of his husband in, Tony finished, “I know … I’m in violation of my visitation orders.”

“Well, you are!” Loki said in exasperation as he huffily blew at a few dark wisps of hair that had fallen into his eyes. As Tony closed the door and moved toward him Loki backed away until he was near enough to the counter to grab his glass of wine, he took a sip to fortify himself. Then he said grudgingly as he gestured towards their audience, “Tony, you remember Doc and Sif?”

Sif placed the platter on the table before going to stand behind her husband who was starting to rise but stopped as Tony motioned toward him. “Please don’t get up on my account … of course, I remember Doc and Sif with the best dairy farm around these parts.” He extended his hand and wasn’t disappointed when the older man reached out his own to shake firmly.

“It’s good to see you again, Tony.”

Sif watched the newcomer warily before nodding her head and saying stiffly, “Tony.”

Noticing that all three had wine glasses on the table Tony said as he walked across the kitchen, “I won’t stand on ceremony since I know where everything is …” he opened a cabinet and pulled down a rocks glass and a bottle of bourbon from the top shelf. Then he held the short tumbler under the ice dispenser of the retro hued refrigerator and let a couple of cubes drop into his glass before walking back over to the table. “Can I offer you something a little bit stronger?” He asked as he motioned the bottle and glass to Doc. 

“No thanks, I’m happy with what I have,” the older man said while shaking his head and shrugging his shoulders, Tony poured two fingers worth of the alcohol into his glass.

Loki’s eyes narrowed, and his normally pale face flushed with anger. “Now that you’ve made yourself comfortable in **my** home, I suggest you finish your drink and then leave before I’m tempted to toss you out.”

With those emerald eyes smoldering at him, Tony couldn’t help grinning admiringly, “You look good, Lokes, the country life always did agree with you.” He tipped his head back and let the smooth liquor slide down his throat and when he glanced back the green in those eyes was almost swallowed by dilated pupils.

After watching his exes Adam’s apple bob seductively and angry that he still found Tony attractive, Loki spat out, “It’s more likely that I’m not around you anymore.” Then he heard the door swing open and knew that his daughter was back in the kitchen and changed his tone to one more civil. “I’m sorry that you can’t stay for dinner, Tony, and even though you didn’t prearrange this visit, I’ll make sure that Natasha can spend some time with you while you are here.”

Not wanting to fight in front of their daughter, Tony sighed, “That’s okay, Loki, I’ve got to check in at my hotel and I appreciate you letting me spend time with the princess while I’m here.” He slammed back the rest of his drink before sitting the glass on the counter as the ice cubes tinkled. Nodding at Sif and Doc Coulson, Tony said, “Good night, all!”

They nodded back saying, “Good night, Tony,” and “It was good to see you again.”

Natasha attached herself to Tony like a limpet, “No, Poppy, please don’t go.” Looking with pleading eyes she begged, “Please Daddy, make Poppy stay!”

Tony hugged her tightly to him, “Come on now, Princess, we’ve had this talk before so you know why I can’t stay. I’ll see you tomorrow, I promise!”

Seeing the disappointment on his daughter’s face had Loki’s resolve wavering and biting his lip he donned a mask of equanimity. “How about the two of us walking Poppy out to his car and then we’ll talk about what time he can pick you up tomorrow, alright?” he asked. The tearful nod went straight to his heart, but he had to be strong for them both. A year of therapy had taught him how to avoid falling into the self-destructive trap of being in a relationship with Tony Stark and he would stand firm … even if it killed him.

After the small family left the room, Sif and Doc shook their heads. “He’s still in love with Loki, it was written all over him.”

Sif nodded her head in agreement, “And Loki is just as in love with Tony, but he’s fighting it tooth and nail. They both stared at the door sadly.

 

~*~*~*~*~

 

The lights in the kitchen created a warm glow in contrast to the darkness seen through the billowy white sheers covering the window over the sink and through the glass of the backdoor. Sif was clearing the used dinnerware from the table and stacking it to be rinsed before loading the dishwasher. Loki was putting away the leftovers while Natasha was playing a game of chess with Doc. She asked, “Can I bring Poppy out to your farm to see your bees tomorrow?”

Concentrating on the board, he said, “Let’s see … tomorrow is Saturday, hmm … sure, Sweetie, you can bring Tony over. I’m going to check the frames to make sure the bees have enough food for the winter and I’ve got a sick hive to look at.” He moved his queen and took Natasha’s rook.

Grinning, she pounced, moving her knight she said, “Check and mate!”

Surprised Doc pushed the thick, dark frames of his glasses up his nose as he stared at the board, “Are you sure?” After checking the pieces, he toppled his king and chuckled, “You ruthless little minx, I thought I had you that time!”

Loki walked over after drying his lemon-scented hands on a dishtowel and bent over his daughter to kiss the top of her head, putting his arms around her for a nice hug. “Now that you’ve beaten Doc for the second game in a row, I think it is time for you to go upstairs, get your bath and brush your teeth. Then you may watch a half hour of television before you go to bed, alright?”

The hugs turned to light tickling as she giggled and lurched to escape. Before Natasha could get out of the door Loki told her, “Say thank you to Sif and Doc for the lovely pheasant dinner and then say good night.”

Grinning, she waved and said before pushing open the kitchen door, “Thank you for the delicious ‘peasant’ (grinning even bigger for the trick – adults always underestimated her) dinner and good night!”

Once she was gone Doc said, “I can’t believe that she’s adopted, she has your eyes and the same mischievous streak you had when you were younger. Back before…” The older man trailed off as he avoided his friend’s gaze, guiltily.

Loki’s face turned ashen, opening and closing his mouth several times before he ignored the last statement. “Tony and I adopted her from Russia when she was a year old through an agency called, SHIELD. They secured her for us from The Red Room Orphanage. I was ill at the time and couldn’t make the trip, but I heard how barbaric it was. Tony told me that many of the children didn’t make it out of there alive. We were very fortunate to obtain Natasha.”

Sif sipped her wine, a worry line bisecting her brow, “Does she know that she’s adopted?”

Loki chuckled, “I’m surprised she hasn’t told you about it. She tells everyone …” ring – ring – ring “… was that the phone?” Loki got up to open the kitchen door and heard the telephone. Walking over he glanced at the Caller ID and wasn’t surprised to see the display read _Private Caller_ before picking up the handset. “Hello?”

“ _Uncle-My-Loki, is that you?_ ” The voice was high-pitched like that of a young boy.

A chill went up his spine at the words as he asked cautiously, “Who is this?”

“ _Uncle-My-Loki, I must’ve fallen asleep at school and I’m locked in, can you come and get me?_ ”

His stomach dropped before he was able to speak and then he yelled into the receiver, “This isn’t funny, play your practical jokes on someone else!” and then he slammed down the phone.

He crossed his arms over his chest as he tried to comfort himself, staring in shock at the telephone. Hearing the commotion, Doc and Sif hurried out to him with Doc taking his bicep and giving it a sympathetic squeeze. “What’s the matter, Loki?”

His green eyes wide with distress, Loki looked at his friends and gasped, “That was Steven on the phone.”

 

<><><>

_To Be Continued_


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I thought I could schedule the update to post on the 8th, but I flubbed it so you get it a little early. Enjoy! :)

Chapter 2

It took a while for Loki to convince Doc and Sif to go home. They knew that he was rattled by the phone call; he wanted everything to go back to as normal as possible not only for himself, but also for his daughter. 

Natasha had finished her bath and was sitting on the footstool in front of her father while he brushed her strawberry-scented hair and they watched the last few minutes of her allotted half hour of television. Eyeing the 19th century porcelain Chinoiserie clock as it softly chimed the hour from the mantle, Loki sighed tiredly as he kissed his daughter on the head and said, “That’s it then … time for bed.”

And as any self-respecting child will do, Natasha tried to avoid the inevitable. “Awww, please Daddy, can’t I stay up a little longer? We haven’t talked about where we’re going to get my pumpkin for the carving contest and what my costume is.”

He tapped her gently on the nose, replying, “When I was a boy the best pumpkins for a Jack-O-Lantern could be bought at Jessup’s farm over by Doc and Sif’s” place. Biting his lip because he hated missing out on any of his daughter’s activities he offered, “Maybe you and Poppy can find one while you’re out tomorrow. I heard you ask Doc if you could both come by, so you’ll be in the area.”  


Natasha started getting excited about spending time with her other father, but it hadn’t distracted her from her more immediate goal of squeezing more time in before being made to go to bed. It was her job to aggravate her Daddy into such a state that he would be too tired to stay awake pacing and thinking … and she was doggone good at it! “But what about my costume, you haven’t told me what you had Miss. Mullins make for me.”

It seemed like it had become a ritual, why couldn’t they get through one evening of bedtime without it escalating into him wanting to pull his hair out before Natasha would finally stop stalling and go to bed. It suddenly occurred to him that tonight he had an ace in the hole. Smirking he said, “Natasha, Darling, I may just have to cancel your day with Poppy tomorrow if you stay up late and are too tired for such a strenuous day.”

Knowing that her father was playing dirty pool, but not trusting that he wouldn’t go through with the threat she wisely decided that discretion was the better part of valor. She jumped up, kissed her father on the cheek and meekly said, “Good night, Daddy.”

He hugged her and assured that all was forgiven by saying, “I’ll be up in a moment to tuck you in … after I’ve checked the locks.” He’d never been nervous living alone before he’d married Tony, but they were together for quite a while and you learned to be cautious when money and power were synonymous with your last name.

He had checked the kitchen and living room before moving on to his office and shop at the front of the house. He pulled the shades on the windows in the showroom before moving to the back window in his office and found it to be unlatched. ‘ _Hmm, that’s odd,_ ’ he thought to himself. Probably nothing would have come of it with Haddonfield being such a sleepy little town, but he was still glad that he always checked.

Before moving on to the front door he heard thumping noises from above him and shouted through the ceiling, “Natasha Alianova Prins-Stark, if you’re not in that bed when I come up your date with your father is definitely…” He’d been moving toward the stairs and didn’t think anything about grabbing the phone as it began to ring.

“Hello, Prins-Stark residence.”

“ _Uncle-My-Loki, why didn’t you come and get me? I had to walk home in the dark and the house is empty._ ” It was the same voice as before.

“Who is this?” He asked as all the color drained out of his naturally pale face making his skin look waxy.

“ _Where’s my mother or my brother?_ ” The voice became pleading and edging toward hysteria.

Loki rubbed his forehead as if he were in pain, “Please, please stop doing this…”

“ _I’m dead, aren’t I?_ ” The voice screamed.

Out of reflex and concern, Loki shouted “Steven…” before the phone was disconnected.

Natasha worried for her father, raced down the stairs, “Daddy, are you alright?”

Trembling, Loki grabbed his daughter to him as he gently took them down to sit on the risers. Rocking them both soothingly Loki shook his head and said, “It can’t be possible … he’s dead.”

“Who’s dead, Daddy? The person that called you on the phone … is that who’s dead?” Natasha asked curiously.

“No, Darling, it’s just a boy playing a vicious prank, that’s…” Loki was interrupted by a loud knocking on the front door. He hugged his daughter tighter as they were both startled by the sudden sound. His heart pounding in his chest he looked through the glass and saw the unexpected face of his nephew. Jumping up he unlocked the door.

A muscular, clean-cut brunet with a winning smile ducked his way through the doorway and taking Loki’s face in his chilled hand confided, “I wanted to be the one to tell you that I’m a turncoat … I had dinner with Tony tonight.” At the serious expressions on his audiences faces he asked, “What’s the matter, somebody die?”

Natasha had gotten up to follow her father as she piped up, “James, a dead boy named Steven …” Loki tried to shush her, but she glared at him before continuing, “a dead boy named Steven called and made Daddy very upset.”

A look of confusion warred with concern as the emotions crossed the handsome young man’s face. “This is some kind of a joke, right?” James laughed cynically. “I know I had a couple of drinks with dinner, but I didn’t think they hit me this hard.”

Loki squeezed his nephew’s right shoulder, “I don’t know what to think, but James … the voice did sound very much like Steven and he called me, Uncle-My-Loki; only Steven ever called me that.”

Before James could reply the phone rang. He read, _Private Caller_ , on the caller ID as it rang again, and Loki protectively pulled Natasha closer to him. On the third ring James snatched it up and brusquely answered, “Hello?”

A surprised male voice asked, “ _James? Did I call you instead of Loki? I didn’t think I’d had that much to drink._ ”

Relaxing at the familiar voice, James chuckled, “Nah, man, you called the right number. I just came over to tell him that you and I went out before he heard a more twisted version from the town rumor mill. Here, I’ll give him the phone, oh and Tony, thanks for the dinner and the company.”

“ _It was my pleasure, James._ ”

Loki took the phone, his hands shaking minutely and with a slight quaver in his voice he asked, “Yes, Tony?”

Immediately Tony noticed the difference in his husband’s usually strong baritone, “ _Hey, Babe, are you okay?_ ”

Loki smiled at the concern in his ex’s voice, “It has simply been a long and trying day.”

There was a snort over the phone, “ _Yeah, well I’m sorry as hell to have contributed to it. I shouldn’t have dropped in on you like that and I don’t blame you for getting your back up. From now on I’ll call and make arrangements with you instead of just dropping in and I’ll really try to work with the court scheduled visitation._ ”

Loki’s heartbeat began to normalize as he listened to the calming tones of his ex-husband. “It wasn’t you … completely. I know with your work schedule that it has been hard to follow the court ordered timetable. I’m willing to work with you if you will only give me a little notice.”

“ _I will from now on, I promise. Give my love to the princess and I’ll see you tomorrow. Good night, Loki._ ”

“Good night, Tony.” Loki squeezed the handset just a tad tightly before hanging it up on the cradle. Sighing he hugged his daughter and said strongly, “Well that is enough of that. Off to bed with you, my love.” And as she opened her mouth to argue he put his index finger under her chin and applied a light pressure until it closed again saying, “We are not a codfish.”

Natasha giggled at the reference to _Mary Poppins_ , but quickly lost the humor when she recognized the look of determination on her father’s face and admitted defeat by turning around with a swirl of her frilly nightgown before trudging up the stairs. Her last act of rebelliousness was to sullenly pronounce from the landing, “I bet it was Stevie Hendrix. He’s always pranking at school and has to sit in Principal Wilson’s office until his mother comes to get him.”

“Maybe, Tasha, but in the meantime why don’t you cut your dad some slack and go to bed like he told you to.” James said sternly as he motioned at her by jerking his head to the left.

“Oh, alright. Good night James, Good night Daddy!” and then she scurried to her room.

“I don’t want you worrying about this.” James said firmly to his uncle as if he were the elder, “It’s just some Halloween prank by some dumb kid. They’ll have found someone new to torment by tomorrow.” 

“How reassuring!” Loki said drily. 

“Well how about this for reassuring.” Side-by-side there didn’t appear to be much of an age difference as James hugged the taller man with his good arm before walking to the door and opening it. “Stevie’s been gone for over twenty years and there ain’t no telephones that work from the land of the dead. Good night, Loki!”

The tall brunet reached up his hand as if to wave but left it stationary as he said with a slight upturn of his lips, “Good night, James, and thank you for stopping by!”

 

~*~*~*~*~

 

The air heavily laden with the smell of _Eau de Barnyard_ had Tony wrinkling his nose as he walked past the white rail fence accompanied by Doc and Natasha; the older man gesturing expansively out into the field. “Since I retired I’m busier than I’ve ever been … I’ve got twenty-five hives going now. I’m saving up the money from the honey and collected venom to take Sif on a second honeymoon. I want to take her to Tahiti … I’ve heard it’s a magical place.”

Nodding his head Tony agreed, “Yeah Tahiti’s great! I took Loki there once … I’ve never seen a person burn so badly from such a short time in the sun. He actually blistered and had to get IV’s at the hospital for dehydration.”

Natasha looked quizzically at her father, “Is that why Daddy doesn’t like to go to the beach, Poppy?”

“Sure is, Princess. Daddy doesn’t have a lot of cells that produce melanin and that’s what protects your skin from the sun.” He ruffled her hair until she rolled her eyes in annoyance. “Hey, Doc, how do you collect bee venom and why would you want to?” Tony curiously asked the older man while eyeing the field full of beehives warily.

“You electrify a cloth covered metal grid with mild current which stimulates the bees into using their stingers. The soft material is very thin and doesn’t trap the stinger, so the bee usually isn’t harmed. Then the apitoxin drops onto a glass plate underneath the apparatus and I collect it to sell for research. It also seems to increase honey production … a win-win.” The older man said with an enigmatic smile.

“Does Sif help you collect the bee’s venom, Doc?” Natasha asked curiously.

The older man grinned wryly, “Sif won’t come near the apiary when I’m doing my collecting. You see when Sif was a little girl she loved bananas a lot and she ate so many that they made her sick. Since the venom has an odor like bananas Sif won’t come near it.”

They stopped in front of the copper colored Audi as Tony grinned while smoothing down his goatee, “I’ve had some business partners that I’d like to bomb with your banana venom, Doc.”

Doc’s face turned serious, “Only if they were people you really didn’t like, Tony. The venom smells like bananas to us, reminding us of food or something sweet, but to bees the smell means protect or attack and urges them to swarm.”

Tony again eyed the beehives thoughtfully. “Well on that note I think we should take our leave so Princess Natasha and I can go find the best pumpkin in all of Haddonfield. Thanks for the tour, Doc,” Tony said as he shook the older man’s hand. I was impressed and I’m not just blowing smoke up your a…” Tony gulped with the word half out of his mouth when he saw his daughter’s knowing smirk (just like Loki’s) and finished, “…beehive.” 

Doc snorted as he accepted a hug from Natasha. “See you real soon for a rematch, you little grandmaster-in-training!”

Natasha grinned up at him and said, “Bye, Doc!” and then turned toward the farmhouse shouting, “Bye, Sif!”

The beautiful brunette came jogging out of the backdoor of the stone and mortar house and with a smile and a friendly wave to Natasha said as she reached them, “That was Loki on the phone, Tony. He said he was running late and that you’d have to take Natasha to her karate class. He said he left everything to make her a **healthy** dinner in the refrigerator and that he should be home soon after.” Her expression changed and her voice held a cynical note as she whispered into his ear, “Try not to screw it up.” 

Tony nodded and said sarcastically, “Thanks, Sif!” as Natasha gave her a hug and then got into her father’s coupe.

Husband and wife waved at the two as they sped down the drive and then Doc dropped his hand down to caress his wife’s shapely buttock. Shocked, Sif gasped before looking around to see if they had an audience before punching her husband in the arm and hissing, “Doctor Phillip J. Coulson, what do you think you’re doing?”

He chuckled and said, “Grabbing a little afternoon delight and I plan on grabbing a little more after I check and see how Thor’s getting on with the cows.”

Her face flushed and she snorted, “Well don’t be too long at it; I know how you get around those needy cows or your fascinating bees … I’ll be all hot and bothered, you’ll be a no-show and I’ll have to take care of myself.” The brunette smirked.

Doc turned her to face him, their height almost matching as he looked into her large, dark eyes. “There isn’t a cow or a bee in the world that can hold a candle to you, my lovely Lola,” he said seriously, but ruined the effect by waggling his eyebrows.

“You know I hate it when you call me that, Phil-lip!” Sif tried to keep a scowl on her face, but lost the battle when she broke out into a big, toothy grin.

“I’m hurt,” he said as he pulled her hand over his chest, “she was my first love … and don’t call me that name!” He used the index finger of his free hand to tap her lightly on her lovely, freckled nose.

Sif stuck her tongue out at him and groused, “Lola’s the name of your first car, Phil. No woman wants to be compared to a car!”

“She was sleek and curvy with an engine that purred for me; need I say more?” he wiggled his eyebrows again before giving his wife a Cheshire cat smile and then grabbed her, kissing her breathless.”

When he let her go, Sif stumbled a little bit until she inhaled deeply and turning toward the house said, “Hurry the hell up!” before she sped away and disappeared through the kitchen door.

Doc’s smile was very appreciative as he watched her go and then he heard a commotion coming from the corral. He took off at a run and when he rounded the barn he saw a tall figure yelling and hitting at the cows with a stick. “Thor, what do you think you’re doing? You’ve got to be gentle with these cows or you’ll curdle their milk. Just open the barn door and whistle to them, they’ll follow you without shouting and hitting at them.”

Thor vaulted the fence, his brown corduroy coat doing nothing to hide his bulging biceps. Sauntering over, his deep voice rumbled, “Sure, Doc, whatever you say!” The tall blond’s eyes were hooded and calculating as he stood and watched the older man walk away shaking his head.

 

*<>*<>*<>*

 

_To be continued_


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning: Gruesome death

  
  


Chapter 3

  


Hogun bowed his head to his favorite pupil, “Well done, Little Spider, it won’t be long before the student surpasses her teacher.”

Seeming to be wiser than her years, Natasha had a serious mien as she returned the bow, deep and from the waist, to show respect and with her gaze aligned at her instructor’s feet. “I am honored, Sensei.”

“If you would return to the locker room to change out of your gi, I would have words with your father.” 

“Yes, Sensei,” Natasha said as she bowed again under the watchful eyes of her Karate instructor before turning to make her way passed the kick bags hanging from the ceiling. Skirting the shelves of training equipment stacked in front of the mirrored walls, she headed toward the back where “Locker Room” was inscribed across the door. Pushing it open she stopped in hesitation as she scuffed a bare foot over the smooth wooden floor. The small redhead looked over her shoulder at the two men, biting her lip clearly worrying about why her teacher wanted to speak to her father.

The stern Asian features softened as Hogun gently encouraged, “Go on, Little One, I have only good things to tell your father … no need for concern.” Still biting her lip, Natasha nodded and disappeared through the door.

The dojo was quiet as Hogun stood in front of a wall with several scrolls on it. The tapestries were embossed with Japanese calligraphy and they flanked a shelf holding a porcelain bowl with incense burning inside, its sweet-scented smoke wafting through the room, and on the other side of the mantelpiece was a jade tiger. Above, butted against the ceiling was a black framed picture of a man that looked very much like an older and grayer version of the instructor.

The Asian featured man bowed his head toward him and Tony, feeling awkward, nodded back. “I have had the wondrous honor to instruct your daughter in the art of Karate since she first moved to Haddonfield.”

“Her dad and I…” Tony started to say, but was interrupted by a quiet hand being raised.

“Please allow me to finish, Stark-San.” Hogun acknowledged the silent assent by a nod of his head, sending dark tendrils loose from his top knot. “When she began as a karateka, she did not just learn what she was taught, she absorbed it. It was not long before she advanced beyond her peers and due to her proficiency, I deemed it necessary to close my establishment for several hours on Saturdays to privately tutor her.” Looking sphinxlike at Tony he said, “She has the heart of a warrior!”

Tony waited for more and when the inscrutable man before him remained silent after making his pronouncement, Tony said uncertainly, “Umm, thank you?” Hearing a door shut he looked up to see his daughter back in her street clothes carrying a gym bag. Tensing up from their exchange turning awkward, Tony held out his hand, “Nice to meet you Mr. Hogun and thanks for everything you do for Natasha. If there is ever anything you need, just let me…”

Smiling back, Natasha said, “Until next Saturday, Sensei.”

“Ready to go, Princess?” Tony asked as he clapped his hands together. Natasha joined him, and they walked out of the front glass doors still under the scrutiny of the dojo owner.

As they strolled to their car Tony glanced down at his cell phone, there were a lot of dead zones in the area and reception was always a little spotty, so he was surprised to see a text from Loki. After reading, Tony grinned at the thought of spending more time with his daughter. “Daddy said he still hasn’t left Claremont yet and I should fix the steaks and salad that are in the fridge for dinner … so how about we go over to Papa Joe’s…” he pointed across the parking lot at a restaurant in the same strip mall, “and order a pizza?” 

Natasha squealed, jumping up and down clapping her hands. “Yes, yes, yes!”

Tony grinned and they held hands as they walked over. Once inside the wondrous smells of Italian cooking made their stomachs growl in anticipation. After perusing the menu and a quick consultation between father and daughter, Tony ordered a family sized house salad with Italian dressing, an order of garlic bread sticks with a side of marinara sauce, and a large pizza with pepperoni and extra cheese. They were told it would take about twenty minutes and settled on a bench next to the hostess station to wait.

Watching her father out of the corner of her eye Natasha asked, “Daddy, who is Steven?”

Tony’s eyes widened as he stared at his daughter. “Where did you hear about Steven?”

“I might have heard Daddy and James mention him.” Natasha said evasively. She found that most adults had lots of things they didn’t want to talk about in front of their kids and if you didn’t want to be surprised you needed to be a good listener and good at figuring stuff out.

“Well, Princess, Steven was James’ brother and they both lived with your Daddy for a while.”

“Where is he now, Poppy?”

“He died, Honey. When James was about ten and Steven would have been around seven they came to live with your Daddy. Your Daddy was barely old enough to take care of himself, but he was their only living relative, so he took them in. Then for some reason Steven ran away and died after he got lost in a blizzard.” He peered at her closely, “Why all of the questions, Princess?”

“Oh, I was just wondering, I guess.” She deflected. “Poppy, James and Steven’s mommy would have been Daddy’s sister, right?”

Sighing, Tony scratched at the hair on his chin, “Yes, Princess, she was your Aunt Helena, but she went by Hela.”

Speaking quickly so she could get everything out in her excitement, Natasha said in a rush, “Darren Bixby at school said that he overheard his mommy talking about Daddy’s family, saying they were all crazy including Daddy, and Daddy’s sister died in the nut house. Darren said he thinks I’m a nut and should be sent there, too!” Her voice turning sad, Natasha asked, “Poppy, is that why you don’t live with us anymore? Because we’re crazy?”

Tony grinned and put his fingers in his mouth and pulling his lips in different directions while crossing his eyes he said, “No, because I am!” He tickled Natasha in the sides and then had to shush her when she began to shriek, and the hostess looked like she was going to kick them out. Settling back down, they both thumbed through magazines as they waited.

After only a few more minutes their food was brought over. Tony handed Natasha the smaller box containing the breadsticks while he carried the larger box with the pizza, the carton with the salad, and the container of dressing. Once at the car, Tony buckled Natasha into the seat behind his and next to the food. “Be home in a few minutes, Princess.” He said as he ruffled her hair.

It took a little longer than Tony had planned. With the sun going down and the temperature dropping, the fog was as thick as pea soup and the safety of his child in the forefront of his mind had Tony driving more moderately. The normal fifteen-minute drive took almost a half an hour, thanks to the mist, and knowing that a tired Loki was driving through these same conditions had Tony worried. Not wanting to communicate his anxiousness to his daughter, Tony deflected by grousing, “I hope the pizza isn’t gonna be too cold … it never tastes as good re-heated.” As they walked into the darkened kitchen, Tony juggled the food boxes with one hand while flipping the light on with the other. The phone was ringing, and he asked, “Princess, would you get that,” while he set the pizza and salad on the counter and then took off his coat, hanging it on the hook by the door.

Natasha dropped the box of garlicky breadsticks on the table as she ran for the phone and in her hurry pushed the swinging door so hard it locked open. Tony saw car lights through the kitchen window and was relieved to know Loki was back. Within moments a breathless Loki rushed in through the door. “I thought I was never getting home after leaving the auction house so late and having to drive like a slug through the fog.”

Tony was gathering plates out of the cabinet and said, “We took a vote and the Princess, and I opted for pizza instead of the steaks you had in the fridge.”

Loki smirked, “Why am I not surprised?” He’d begun to take off his jacket and then stopped when he looked up and noticed his daughter holding the phone in the living room, but she wasn’t talking, and she seemed very nervous. Anxiously he asked, “Tony, who is she speaking to?”

Distracted due to portioning the salad onto the plates, Tony mumbled, “I don’t know.” Startled when he heard Loki running through the kitchen he dropped the tongs into the salad and followed his ex.

Loki called, “Darling, who are you talking to?” When his daughter didn’t answer and seemed upset he yanked the phone out of her hand. “Who is this?” He demanded, but all he heard was the line disconnecting. He knelt so that he was at eye level with Natasha, her face tense with apprehension. “Darling, who was on the phone?”

She was trying very hard to be brave, but her lip wobbled as she began to sob, “It was Steven, and he was saying terrible things about Doc. Daddy, he said something bad was going to happen to Doc!” The girl ran to Tony and he began to rock her back and forth comfortingly before she looked up with a fearful face, “But Poppy, you said Steven was dead. Dead people can’t hurt you, can they?”

Loki’s face was as white as a sheet as he frantically tried to dial the number to Coulson’s Farm. The line rang busy and with his face taut from frustration, he bit his lip until it bled. “Someone is on the line and I can’t get through.”

“Shh, shh, it will be okay, Honey. The dead don’t come back to hurt people, it’s just someone playing a very mean joke. Why don’t we go in and have some of that delicious pizza before it gets too cold?” As he herded his daughter toward the kitchen, he said reasonably, “I’m sure everything is fine, but I know you won’t feel at ease until you talk to them. If you don’t get a hold of them by the time Natasha is finished eating, I’ll run over there and make sure everything is okay.”

Loki nodded as he dialed again, “Thanks for being here, Tony.”

The brunet winked, “Any time, Lokes!”

  
  
  
  
  
  


~*~*~*~*~

  
  
  
  
  
  


Sif was cleaning up after dinner and talking to her friend, Idunn on the phone. Doc’s tummy was filled with the delicious braised pork roast and apples that she’d made when he went out as usual to do a little work in the apiary. It was an area in the store house he’d set aside where he could extract bee venom or work on troubled hives, especially at night since he had a warm environment and bright lights. He had a hive that seemed off, so he’d placed it into quarantine a couple of days ago and when he had time he was going to open it up to check for disease or parasites. That time was now as he hummed to himself while crossing the yard.

The door was always dead bolted because of the chemicals and expensive bee venom he kept there so with the key in his hand, Doc was puzzled to find the door unlocked. Shaking his head, he chuckled at his forgetfulness and how Sif would tease him if she knew. After entering, he hung up his coat on the hook, rolled up the sleeves of his white Henley shirt and grabbing his radio he flipped it on as he walked into his “inner bee-sanctum” (he chuckled at his pet name for the place). The station was playing Mozart and since it worked for the cows, he thought he’d try it in the bee room.

Doc moved slowly so as not to upset the bees, setting the radio down on the table with the hive on the other side of the room. Then he placed the loops of a facial mask over his ears while humming along softly to the music. He ignored the bees flying around the room and steadily lifted the outer cover of the hive, laying it gently on a workbench that was against the wall. Then Doc gradually lifted the inner cover, getting a couple of stings, but he ignored them and the bees that were starting to become more numerous; he was used to them, so he didn’t panic, barely feeling it anymore when he did get a sting.

Doc had a wad of absorbent cotton already prepared and laying on his work table, but he couldn’t find the bottle of chloroform that he knew he’d gotten out earlier. Searching the room fruitlessly with bees curiously buzzing around him, he finally looked through the plate glass window and saw the missing container sitting on the supply shelf. “They say that your memory’s the first thing to go,” he muttered deprecatingly to himself as he shook his head.

He went out of the door to retrieve the chemical and brought it back into the room, closing the door behind him to prevent escapes. The music and the slow rhythmic movements were relaxing as Doc hummed to himself, opening the bottle and pouring it over the cotton. The buzzing around him intensified, but he was concentrating on his task so he wasn’t paying attention. He capped the bottle, sitting it back down on the table before picking up the saturated cotton and dropping it on the top of the open hive; instead of anesthetizing the bees they became angry and started boiling out of the exposed box.

Doc was getting multiple stings and his bewilderment quickly morphed into fear when he ripped off his mask to take a whiff of his still damp fingers, smelling the strong odor of bananas. “Oh, my God, how did that happen?” Swiping at the bees that were coming at his face and eyes, the man read the label of the bottle where it sat on the table; it was clearly marked “Chloroform.” The angry bees filled the air and though Doc had never been afraid of the tiny winged creatures before, self-preservation had him running for the door. In his panic to get away he knocked over the box and the maddened bees swarmed over him.

He could no longer see the way out as his eyelids were completely swollen shut. He couldn’t breathe because his mouth and nose were filled with bees. The stinging insects completely covered him as he dropped to the floor; his last thought was of his wife and how sorry he was that she’d most likely be the one to find him.

  
  
  
  
  
  


~*~*~*~*~

  
  
  
  
  
  


Sif laughed at Idunn's lusting over Tony Stark's, admittedly gorgeous buttocks. "You should see them together, with the cow eyes that Tony shoots Loki and Loki almost spitting nails at his ex, but you can see it's because he's fighting the attraction. They're both still in love. If it wasn't for Tony being such a workaholic and refusing to believe a world outside of New York existed and Loki wanting to raise Natasha in a less hectic environment as well as not liking the work over family ethics of his husband they'd still be together.

Hearing call waiting beeping at her again, Sif glanced up at the clock and saw that it was almost eight. "Oh my, I didn't realize we’d been talking for so long. I’d better let you go, Idunn and see who’s been trying to get through. Good night and I’ll see you at the Festival on Monday.”

The minute Sif hung up the phone rang again. Answering it she said, “Hello?”

“ _Oh Sif, thank God! I’ve been trying to get through for ages._ ”

“Loki? What is it?”

“ _Steven called…_ ”

Sif interrupted, “So now that sicko’s gotten you sucked into playing along with him. Loki, you know that Steven is…”

With exasperation in his voice Loki spoke over the well-meaning woman, “ _Sif, where is Doc?_ ”

“He’s with his bees.” Sif answered starting to catch Loki’s anxiousness.

“ _Listen to me, Steven called earlier and said some nasty things about Doc and that something terrible was going to happen._ ”

Sif dropped the phone without saying another word and not stopping long enough to grab her coat she ran outside. With her long stride it only took her about half a minute to make it across the yard and into the apiary. Now in a panic, Sif opened the door calling out, “Doc?” When she didn’t hear anything she fearfully screamed, “Phillip Joshua Coulson, you answer me…” By now she’d made it to the plate glass window and looking through she saw a figure on the floor completely covered by bees.

Chafing at the time it was taking, but knowing she wouldn’t be any help to her husband if she went in unprotected; Sif stuffed a veil over her head and shoved the gauntlets of the gloves up her arms. She was wearing a heavy beige sweat shirt and a loose pair of matching woolen pants with the thick material already tucked into her boots; taking deep breaths to keep her panic down, she opened the door. Sif tried reassuring her unresponsive husband as she caught him under the arms and dragged his bee engulfed body outside, getting a few stings herself despite her precautions. She raked the clinging insects off his face to find swollen, unrecognizable features and she began to cry.

Looking around her for any kind of help she saw someone standing out in the field, the mist swirling around them. Gathering her wits Sif opened her mouth to call for help when the vaporous cloud cleared for a moment and she could see that it was a young boy, his blond hair shaggy, and his blue eyes staring at her coldly. She screamed, “ **STEVEN!** ” and kept right on screaming.

  
  
  
  
  
  


*<>*<>*<>*

  
  
  
  
  
  


_To be continued_

  
  
  
  
  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning: Gruesome death by bees
> 
> A/N: I am using chloroform on the bees because that is what was used in the movie. I cannot find any current use for the chemical in beekeeping, but it was essential to the plot. I also do not know a thing about Karate or Asian cultures, only what I gleaned from the Internet so please do not barbecue me for my ignorance. Thank you!


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter Four

The sun had been up barely long enough to burn off the fog as Sherriff John “Jock” Garrett came out of the door leading to the store house where Doc Coulson had died. He was followed closely by Tony Stark and James Barnes. His hat in his hands, Garrett turned the brim nervously as he said, “I guess even a man that knew what he was doing could underestimate something as dangerous as those bees. I’m sure the coroner will rule it an accident once he gets here from the county seat over in Dorsett.”

Tony threw a skeptical look at the tall law officer, “What about the phone call? Don’t you think that was a little suspicious?”

An almost hurt look in his blue eyes, Garrett shook his hat at Tony and James, “You should have reported those phone calls when they started. It makes me look like a bumbling idiot that doesn’t know what’s going on in his own town.” The leather of his gun belt creaked as he turned and started walking to his patrol car where it was parked in the barnyard. “B’sides, I don’t think the phone calls had anything to do with this. It’s Halloween and kids being the little shits that they are like to cause trouble, especially at this time of year.”

“What about the boy Sif saw?” Tony asked stubbornly as he got between the sheriff and his car.

“Finding Doc like that, I don’t think Sif knows what she saw, and after talking to Loki she already had Steven Rogers on her mind. It would’ve been more amazing if she hadn’t seen anything.” Garrett reasoned.

Tony always trusted his gut and he didn’t like how this whole thing was adding up or how eager the sheriff was to sweep it under the “accident” rug. “You mind if I do some investigating?”

Garrett walked around Tony and slid into the seat of his car, looking up with his eyes narrowed as if he didn’t like what he was seeing either that or the sun was getting into his eyes. Since it wasn’t that bright out, Tony figured it was the former. “Yeah, you can do some poking around for what good it’ll do you, but on the offhand chance that you do find something you bring it right to me, understood?” He turned to grab the microphone from his radio…

Tony cocked his finger at the sheriff, winked his eye and made a palatal click with his tongue, “Whatever you say, Sheweff.”

Garrett’s face turned beet red with anger at the mocking and he was about to get out of the car when James who had been standing there listening leaned in and put his artificial left hand up over the door preventing the exit. Giving the law officer a crooked grin, he said, “Don’t mind him, Jock, he gives everyone stupid nicknames.”

Garrett nodded and jabbed his index finger repeatedly at Tony, “You might be the big stink in New York, **Mister** Stark,” he said contemptuously, “but this is my town and if you step out of line here you’ll be missing a foot, am I understood?”

Tony stared into the blazing blue eyes and started to say something again, but knowing what was about to come out of that snarky mouth was not going to be something good, James elbowed him. Since the stare down was now broken, Tony said, “Sure!” before turning around and going back inside. 

With the volatile situation now smoothed over, James walked across to Loki who was standing next to his green minivan. His uncle looked tired, so James put his right arm around the tense shoulders, offering moral support. “Why don’t you go home and get some rest? Clint took Sif to her brother’s so there’s nothing for you to do.”

“I can’t, I feel like I need to be here right now. We dropped Natasha off at Idunn’s before we came and going home to have all of this just playing over and over in my head is not something I need right now.” Glancing around, Loki inquired, “Where did Tony go?”

“He asked the sheriff if he could look around some and Jock said that he could.” Watching the sheriff talking into the microphone of his radio in the patrol car, James snorted, “Those two get on like gasoline and a match.”

Loki smirked, “Knowing Tony’s utter contempt for authority and Jock’s heavy-handedness, I can safely say I’m glad I was over here and completely missed that pissing contest.”

James chuckled, “Yeah, it was something alright. I tried to diffuse it and I think it helped a little. At least Tony’s not in jail and our sheriff doesn’t have a broken jaw … I’ve seen them both fight and though Jock’s taller and has a longer reach, Tony’s got fists of iron; one punch and our sheriff would be down for the count.” James saw Loki shiver and said exasperatedly, “I swear you are more stubborn than Natasha … If you insist on staying at least sit in the van, it’s freezing out here.”

“I am older than you so kindly stop bossing me around.” Loki complained and tried not to smile. Hating to admit defeat and how truly cold he was Loki deflected, “You’re the one that should be out of the elements. Wasn’t it you that was sick for two days last week and had to stay in bed with your phone turned off so that you could rest?”

Realizing he wasn’t going to get anywhere head on, James reasoned, “Alright, I’ll get in the van if you will.” Loki nodded his head in silent agreement and they both climbed into his van to wait for Tony.

Meanwhile, Tony had been exploring Doc’s storage building and found nothing except some scratch marks on the lock on the door. Through the plate glass window of the workroom where Doc had died he could still see bees swarming. Donning a veil, white coveralls, and gloves that he found on a hook by the door, Tony cautiously made his way inside. The room was in disarray with a hive and stool knocked over, a smashed radio on the floor, bottles toppled onto the table, and hundreds of dead bees covering everything. He noticed a distinctive fruity smell, but pushed it to the back of his mind while warily keeping his eyes on the bees.

Tony was careful to stay away from the hive and the still agitated insects as he edged closer to the table, sliding the flattened radio out of his path with his foot. Once within reach he picked up a yellow bottle labeled, “Bee Nectar Concentrate.” Tony opened it and took a sniff. It had a sweet, sugary smell. He recapped the bottle and put it back the way he found it. Seeing a brown bottle labeled, “Chloroform,” lying on its side; Tony picked it up. He uncapped it and noticed an increase in buzzing while he cautiously sniffed at the contents; it smelled like bananas and the odor that had niggled at him finally registered. He remembered what Doc had said … was it just the day before?

_The venom smells like bananas to us making us think of food or something sweet, but to bees the smell means protect or attack and makes them swarm._

Ignoring the knot in his throat and the way his skin crawled, Tony sat the glass bottle down and looked around before spotting something white over by the spilled hive. When he bent to pick it up it was covered with bees some dead and some still madly attacking the cloth. His heart thudding in his chest, Tony tried to rake some of the bees off the material. When he was able to clear it a little he recognized that it was a pad of cotton. Tony didn’t need to smell it to tell that it reeked of bananas as he gently laid it back on the floor. 

He squatted there among the bees where a friend had died a horrifying death and tried to fit the pieces together when he heard the door open. A tall veiled figure entered, quickly closing the door and when the mysterious figure saw him crouching there it asked, “Is that you Mr. Stark?”

“Yes, and who are you?” Tony challenged.

“I’m Thor … Thor Odinson. I met you yesterday out while I was tending the cows.”

Tony stood, “So you worked for Doc?”

“Yes, I work for the Coulson’s. I also work for your ex-husband on occasion, as well as several others in town; I pick up odd jobs where I can. Being a foster kid, I never learned to put down roots, but I like it here … people have been really nice to me so I’ve been thinking about staying put. Speaking of jobs … Sif … I mean Mrs. Coulson called me and asked me to kill all of these bees.” He had a tank with a hose and nozzle on it and he started spraying a fine mist over the buzzing insects.

“Well, I’ll let you get to it then.” Tony said as he surreptitiously palmed the brown bottle and left the scene of death. Once out of the little room he hurriedly threw off the protective gear before grabbing his coat and speedily leaving the building.

When Tony got outside he walked quickly to the sheriff’s car. Garrett was still inside, but he’d been joined by a deputy wearing a pair of purple sunglasses. The man was of medium height with sandy-blond hair and was relating how after dropping Sif off at her brother’s he came back and searched the field where she’d reported seeing the boy for any sign that someone had stood or walked through it, but all he’d been able to find were hoof prints and _cow pies_.

Tony barged up, “I’m sorry to interrupt, but I think this might be important. Thor is in there destroying those bees and…”

Garrett arrogantly cut Tony off. “I know all about that and I gave him the okay. He said Sif asked him to do it and I really can’t blame her after the way her husband died.”

Tony bit his lip and asked for patience, “Yeah, well I think Doc was murdered and that makes this a crime scene, so you’d better stop Thor from possibly destroying evidence.”

The sheriff’s face was red, his voice angry as he started to get out of the car. “Look Stark, I told you…”

“What does chloroform smell like?” Tony cut in.

Garrett stared at him a moment not understanding the swerve of the conversation. “Acetone or nail polish remover … why?”

By this time Loki and James had gotten out of the van to join them and watched as Tony moved the coat that was covering the brown bottle in his hand, “Because I found this and it’s marked, “Chloroform,” but it smells like bananas. Doc told me yesterday that he collected bee venom and sold it to research facilities. He said that it smelled like bananas and it made bees swarm.” He handed the bottle to the sheriff.

Garrett motioned and said, “Clint, go stop Thor while I listen to Stark’s ravings. I don’t want it said that I was being pig-headed.” As his deputy ran into the storage building the sheriff opened the bottle and took a cautious sniff. He turned the container to read the label and said in an amazed voice, “It does smell like bananas.” Then he scowled arguing, “It doesn’t prove anything. Doc could’ve just mislabeled it.”

Tony looked at the obstinate law officer contemptuously, “You knew Doc longer than I did. Do you really think he’d make a mistake like that? I suggest you send that to a lab and get it analyzed and call in a CSI team.”

Garrett opened his mouth like he was going to argue and then closed it again. Tony shouldered into his coat while walking over to Loki and putting his arm around his waist, saying, “Let’s go pick up Natasha and then we’re going back to your place.” Stopping he looked up and stared into those deep green eyes. “I’m staying the night and I won’t listen to any arguments.”

Loki’s face was still pale with dark smudges under the fan of his eyelashes. “For once you won’t get one … and Tony?”

“Yeah, Babe?”

Loki tried to get angry over the endearment, but instead wrapped it around himself until he felt warm and safe before squeezing Tony’s arm that was around him. “Thanks!” Then he looked at James and asked, “Are you coming over?”

“Nah, I think I’m going to go back to my place and crash, but I’ll be over later. I understand if you aren’t up to it considering everything that’s been going on, but … Sunday dinner?” James asked hopefully.

Loki snorted, “You and your super human appetite. Well, I suppose there may be a salad later.” A pair of soulfully dark puppy eyes stared at him entreatingly. “Oh, alright, steak and baked potatoes you walking stomach.”

James waved as he jumped into his Jeep yelling, “See you later.”

  
  
  
  


~*~*~*~*~

  
  
  
  


It was a very subdued little family that returned to the house that morning. Loki had a blinding headache that set his teeth and temper on edge. After his sharp tongue cut Tony one time too many he was handed a glass of water and the bottle of migraine prescription that was kept in his medicine cabinet. Loki hesitated because he didn’t like the way the white caplets made him feel, but living with only half a skull after he pulled his head apart was not an option; he took the pills and water without comment.

His hand covering eyes that were so red and sensitive that even the smallest sliver of light felt like a spear was being driven through his brain; Loki allowed Tony to lead him to the master bedroom. Pulling back the duvet and patting the mattress the billionaire said, “Come on Babe, give it up. You are completely done in and you definitely want to be horizontal when your meds kick in. I’ll look after the princess and I promise I won’t fly her off to Paris while you’re unconscious.”

Loki just stared at him as his sluggish mind registered the last bit of what his ex said and asked acerbically, “Are you looking to be put in Jock Garrett’s jail?”

“It was a joke, Lokes.”

“A very poor one,” Loki said stepping out of his shoes, and at this point not caring that Tony was watching, also his clothes as he lay down naked. Covering his eyes with his arm, he continued, “The refrigerator is fully stocked so please do not stuff my daughter…”

“Our daughter.” Tony interjected.

Loki ignored him and continued, “…full of junk.”

Then he said no more as he began to breathe evenly through his mouth.

Tony sighed, kissing Loki’s head gently and pulling the duvet up over him. “Sleep tight, Babe. I’ll keep you and the princess safe, don’t you worry.” Then he snuck out of the door.

  
  
  
  


~*~*~*~*~

  
  
  
  


When Loki woke the pain in his skull had lessened to an echo of its previous self with his head feeling like it was stuffed and floating. He was so tired he felt like he could sink right through the mattress and keep going until he melted into the ground. Unable to move, he lay there hoping that the phone calls and Doc’s death were just dreams, but he knew that they weren’t. He spied a glass of water on his bedside table and attempted a smile, but the movement of all those little facial muscles was just too painful. He lifted his head to sip the miraculous liquid and with lips that were no longer stuck together he whispered gratefully, “Tony.”

Lethargic, Loki wished he could stay in bed, but he had a daughter to take care of and since they were now divorced he didn’t want to depend on Tony and give him the wrong idea. He knew that his ex was trying to insinuate himself back into their lives, but all it would take was a disaster with Tony’s company in New York for him to leave them high and dry. His heart couldn’t take that again and there was no way he’d put his daughter through a repeat performance either.

Gritting his teeth as he heaved himself up and ignoring the slight dizziness that he felt going from a horizontal position to a vertical, Loki threw off the covers and turned to put his feet on the floor. Looking down he realized he was naked and a foggy memory of stripping in front of Tony had him smiling one moment and wincing the next. Sighing Loki muttered to himself, “I am a fool.”

With an effort Loki pushed himself out of bed and went into his bathroom, the coolness of the dark green décor soothing his frayed nerves as he shut the door behind him. Opening the glass door of the shower he stepped inside and turned on the water, adjusting the temperature to just this side of scalding to ease his aching body. The steam began to build up and billow around him as he placed his forehead against the frigid marble tiles and let the hot water run down his back. The dichotomy of the temperature extremes felt delicious until he was startled by the glass door being opened.

“I thought I heard you moving around.” Tony said as he popped his head inside.

“Damn you, Tony!” Loki growled.

“Aww, Babe, don’t be that way. I just came in to see if you wanted me to wash your back.” He said with a salacious grin while waggling his eyebrows.

“Need I remind you that we are no longer married?” Loki asked with a glare as he ruthlessly shoved down the excitement that he felt at the sound of Tony’s voice. The familiar and arousing image of them both washing each other, soapy hands sliding over wet body parts had him furiously turning his back to prevent his husband from seeing his reaction.

Saddened by the sudden realization that they really were over, Tony sighed, dropping his gaze and said, “Sorry, Loki, I just came in to tell you that dinner was ready if you feel up to joining us. The princess and I fixed the steaks, potatoes and salad you had in the fridge and James is here.”

“Tony … I ...,” Loki felt lost and his head began to throb again. “Thank you, I’ll be down in a few moments.” Turning off the hot water it only took seconds for his erection to wilt and as his husband left, Loki turned off the faucett and began half-heartedly toweling the water droplets from his skin. He then dressed in worn black jeans, a green turtle neck sweater, and an old pair of gray woolen socks to keep his always frigid feet nice and toasty.

Entering the kitchen, the bitter smell of coffee had him wrinkling his nose and he started to put the kettle on when Natasha said, “Poppy already made you a cup of tea, Daddy, it’s on the table next to your plate.”

Feeling lower than pond scum, Loki gave his family a wan smile and mumbled, “Thank you!”

Taking a sip of his coffee and giving his daughter a wink, Tony said, “No problem, Lokes … Loki, uh, have a seat. The princess has been anxious for you to try her salad.”

“Aren’t you hungry, Daddy?” Natasha asked motioning to the place setting next to hers with a plate containing a steaming baked potato, steak covered in grilled mushrooms, and a fully dressed salad. At Loki’s hesitation, his daughter’s eyes began to mist and her lip to wobble, as she laid on the guilt. “You don’t like it?”

Used to working with Natasha to get his uncle to do things that were best for him, James also laid it on thick. “You’re not going to disappoint the little princess, are you Loki?”

Loki quickly sat down and ignored his rebellious stomach while also ignoring the triumphant looks from the co-conspirators on either side of him. Picking up his cup and fortifying himself with a couple of sips of tea which helped to settle his insides and ease the throbbing at his temples, he gave a genuine smile to his family and said, “It looks delicious!”

  
  
  
  


~*~*~*~*~

  
  
  
  


After dinner James left to go back home to his rooms at Asgard. Loki still felt a little out of it, so he dozed on the couch while Tony and Natasha played a cutthroat game of Monopoly and watched _It’s The Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown_ on the television. The schools were closed tomorrow for a teacher’s record day, but in reality, it was to give everyone time to get ready for the Halloween Carnival; Haddonfield took the holiday very seriously. Since there wasn’t a reason to get Natasha up early, Loki decided to let his daughter stay awake a little later that night.

When the chimes of the clock on the mantle tinkled out the hour of ten, Loki sat up and tried to work the crick out of his neck from his tall frame being scrunched up on the settee. He sighed and nudged Natasha with his sock covered foot, “Time for bed, Darling.”

She’d been rubbing her eyes for the last twenty minutes so for once didn’t give her father a hard time and got up giving Tony a kiss on the cheek saying, “Night-night, Poppy.” Then she moved over to Loki and sat next to him giving him a tight hug, “I’m glad you’re feeling better, Daddy, good-night.”

Loki bent over and kissed the top of her head and then gave her a gentle hug, “Good-night, my Dearest.”

Stopping at the door she grinned and waving to them both yawned with her other hand over her mouth, “See you in the morning,” while winking at Tony before turning to run up the stairs.

Suspicious, Loki looked questioningly at his ex and asked, “What was that about?”

Hurriedly looking down to put the game pieces away in the box, Tony tried to project an air of innocence and answered, “I’m pretty sure I don’t know.”

Not reassured at all by the way Tony was acting Loki said while staring warily at his very industrious ex-husband, “Well, I think I’m going to check the locks and then go up and see about Natasha.”

“I’ll do it tonight, don’t worry about it.” Tony assured.

Loki smiled gratefully, “Thank you, Tony.” He stood up stretching, his bones cracking satisfyingly while Tony watched the gap between the jeans and the hem of Loki’s green sweater grow larger while showing off his deliciously pale skin and the cutest little “innie” belly button.

“Sure, any time.” Tony said as he watched his ex-leave and paying close attention to that shapely ass. Adjusting his jeans that had suddenly gotten a little tight he inspected all of the doors and windows to make sure they were locked before going upstairs to look in on things there.

Tony had already checked the windows on the second floor including Natasha’s room, taking the time to tuck his drowsing daughter into bed and again kiss her good night. Walking down the hallway he knocked on the door to the master suite. When he heard a muffled, “Enter,” he followed the instructions and opened the door.

Popping his head in, Tony said, “Just checking upstairs.” Seeing Loki sitting on the edge of the bed with his shoulders hunched and head lowered; Tony crossed the purple-taupe room and sat down next to his ex. “Headache back, Lokes?”

“No, the migraine is gone. I am simply unable to believe that Doc is dead.”

“It’ll be alright, I’ll see to it … I promise.” He kissed Loki’s temple and continued, “I’ve been trying to find a good time to tell you and one has never materialized, so I might as well jump in now. A few months ago, I had an episode with my heart. It wasn’t a heart attack … per se,” the color all but drained out of his ex-lover’s face. “Hey no Lokes, I’m okay … really, but Dr. Banner said that I wouldn’t be if I didn’t change my priorities and with Pep doing her governor thing now, I needed to find a capable assistant. Her name is Darcy Lewis. She’s young, energetic, and so far, more than capable of handling everything I’ve been able to throw at her.” He reached out tweaking Loki’s chin, “You were right all along, Babe, and I feel like it’s taken ten years and a ton of weight off of my shoulders.”

Loki sighed, “I’m glad that you’re following medical advice and quite honestly, it took you long enough, but that doesn’t mean that you won’t follow the same old pattern like you always do.”

Tony’s face was earnest as he said, “I know you think that the minute the business hits a bump I’ll leave, but that’s what Darcy’s there for … so I won’t have to. And since you called me on my shit with the divorce, I’ve learned that I don’t like living without my family … I’ll do anything to get us back together and to keep us that way.” Tony put his arm around Loki’s waist and squeezed reassuringly as Loki rested his head on his husband’s shoulder, placing his palm over Tony’s heart. The tender moment was broken by a jaw-breaking yawn, with Tony covering his mouth in surprise.

Loki chuckled low in his throat, “Nice speech, Stark, and we’ll see if you really can change your spots the way that being in the country seems to have cured your insomnia.”

Tony bounced up and down on the firm mattress and not meeting his husband’s eyes as he said nonchalantly while rubbing his free hand over the luxurious pewter hued velvet duvet, “Seems quite comfy.”

Loki smirked with amusement, “Yes, it is. I wish I could say the same about your own sleeping place, but the couch downstairs is hellishly uncomfortable; it’s an antique empire sofa which means it is lumpy and this one is short, as well.” Chuckling, Loki motioned towards the hallway with a saucy flip of his hand, “Linen and extra pillows are in the hall closet.” At his husband’s stunned look, Loki grinned cat like, “Where else did you imagine you would be sleeping tonight? Good-night, Tony, I’ll see you in the morning!” He said mischievously, as he waited for his husband to get up and leave.

Tony sighed, slapped his knees and said dejectedly as he rose and crossed the thick piled, pewter tinted carpet, “Catch you in the morning, Lokes.” He didn’t say anything else or turn to give his ex a brazen wink as would be his usual behavior, but instead headed resolutely through the door and shut it quietly behind him. Without Tony’s larger-than-life presence next to him Loki began to realize how lonely you could be with only your pride to keep you company and he wondered wistfully if Tony really could make good on his promises.

  
  
  
  


*<>*<>*<>*

  
  
  
  


_To be continued_

  
  
  
  



	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My beta was unable to get to this chapter before the scheduled update. Corrections will be made after she is able to edit the chapter.

Chapter 5

Loki had signed up to donate something for the cake walk at the carnival, so he’d bought a Devil’s Food boxed mix to make and after letting it cool, he covered it with a dark chocolate frosting. The delicious aroma permeated the room as he decorated the dessert with Mellowcrème pumpkins to make a top edge and a border around the bottom of the cake by alternating Candy Corn.

Notorious for his sweet tooth, Loki munched a few of the orange candies in between placing them on the cake and watching Natasha and Tony carve the pumpkin for the contest at the Halloween carnival that night. Earlier they’d placed old newspapers on top of the table and then cut a hole in the top, so they could scoop out the messy “guts.” Then Natasha took a Sharpie to draw the face so that Tony could carve it out with a knife. The face was in between comical and frightening with a candle on the inside for illumination.

“That’s wonderful, Darling” Loki applauded, “Now why don’t you go upstairs and get cleaned up. “We’ll eat dinner here before getting ready to go into town.”

As soon as Loki was sure she was out of earshot he sighed as he placed his cake in a box, “I’m still not sure that we should be going to this thing. I think with it coming on the heels of Doc’s death we should just stay at home.” He stared at Tony as he suddenly realized how worried he’d been when first hearing about his heart and now felt completely safe with him here and how much he’d missed their life together. He licked his suddenly dry lips as his own heart began to speed up when he noticed how sexy the man looked even with pumpkin innards hanging off of his beard.

Tony blew out the candle in the Jack-O-Lantern basking in Loki’s inclusion of him with _we_ and _home_. “I think we need this, especially after such a tragedy … something uplifting, and Natasha has worked so hard on this thing…” putting the lid back on, Tony rested both hands on the closed pumpkin, “…I’d hate to see her disappointed.” He glanced at his husband and watched him use his tongue to clean the smudges of chocolate on his hands from where he’d slid the cake into the box. The sight had his mouth watering and his jeans tightening around his interested nether regions.

“On that I agree.” Licking icing from his finger Loki wasn’t surprised when Tony sauntered over and placing his hands over Loki’s hips he mouthed the frosting covered finger while their eyes locked and he moaned, wantonly. Loki glared before smirking and tapping the still glistening appendage against his ex’s nose and said, “Slow it down, Stark!” as he willed his heart to calm. Getting his mind back on track, Loki said as he went to wash his hands in the sink, “Considering all of the junk we will all be eating at the carnival I think something plain, but substantial like grilled cheese and tomato soup will be just the thing.” Leaving Tony to wash up, he opened the refrigerator before bending over in front of it to get out the bread, butter and cheese as a muffled, “Love, would you get the large can on the middle shelf in the cabinet by the stove please?” wafted out of the open appliance.

Appreciating the shapely butt aimed in his direction still didn’t distract Tony from noticing Loki’s endearment. It’d been a long time since his husband had called him that, so grinning from ear to ear Tony said, “Sure thing, Babe,” before _Snoopy_ dancing over to the mentioned cupboard and getting the soup down.

“Would you make the sandwiches while I make the soup?” Loki asked as he handed Tony the loaf of bread, cheese slices, and butter. Their eyes catching, momentarily mesmerized, and then Loki gave Tony a tentative kiss on the lips before breaking away and resting their foreheads together. Sighing, they separated with Tony humming to himself as his heart did painful flip-flops and he practically floated over to the counter to assemble the sandwiches. Loki opened the soup, plopping it into a pot and then added a can full of cream. He whisked it smooth over the right burner before adding crushed basil, lemon zest and parsley. Tony had the griddle out on the left side of the stove as the cheese melted and the bread turned a nice golden brown, brushing his hip against Loki’s as he whistled, * _Bella Notte_.

Loki snorted, “You are such a sentimental marshmallow, Stark.”

Tony batted his long lashes, “Yeah, but you love me for it … and hey, you’re still a Stark, too!”

At that moment they heard running feet on the stairs and they pulled away from each other, both in agreement not to advertise their flirtation; it was too new, and neither was sure if it would be permanent. Since the separation and divorce was so hard on their daughter, they were in unspoken accord not to parade their playfulness in front of her in fear of rousing a hope for reconciliation that may fall flat. Loki ladled the soup into bowls as the door swung open and Natasha came in. “Darling, would you take the plates with the sandwiches to the table?”

“Yes, Daddy.” Natasha jogged over to the counter and to save steps tried to take more than one, precariously juggling them together.

“Let me help you there, Princess.” To avert disaster, Tony quickly grabbed the extra plate along with the spoons and napkins he had been retrieving, taking everything to the table. After they all sat, Tony tore his sandwich in half and then dunked that half into his soup, blowing on it before taking a bite.

Loki snorted, “I can certainly tell she is your daughter.”

Tony looked up and saw Natasha had mirrored him completely, and he winked at her. “Yep, she’s a Stark through and through.”

  
  
  
  


~*~*~*~*~

  
  
  
  


Thor finished hammering the banner that read, “Happy Halloween!” Climbing down the ladder he asked the sheriff, “How does that look?”

Garrett stared at the placement critically, “I think the left side is a little lower than the right.”

Folding up the ladder after sliding the hammer into the loop of his painters’ pants, the blond grumbled, “Well that’s as straight as it’s gonna get. I’ve been here all day setting everything up, so I think the town council’s gotten their money’s worth out of me. I’m gonna head back to my place to get cleaned up for the festivities. I’ll see you around, Sheriff.”

Garrett threw Thor a distrustful look and said as the blond left the building, “Yeah, I’ll be seeing you around, ‘Grifter’, and eventually I’ll catch you at your game.” The sheriff wandered around the empty auditorium decorated with paper skeletons, orange and black crepe streamers, and pumpkins sitting atop bales of hay. It was now four o’clock and the volunteers weren’t due until five with the carnival starting at six, so he had lots of time to wander around messing things up to get that ‘no-good towhead’ in trouble with the council and the mayor.

Garrett removed a flask from his pocket and took a healthy pull from it. He yanked on some of the decorations until they were crooked and then he spat saliva in the _Dunking for Apples_ tubs. He pocketed some of the prizes from the _Fish Pond_ , stole three numbered ping-pong balls from the hopper for the _Cake Walk_ , and unplugged the sound system. He was just going into the _Haunted House_ to see what mischief he could do there when he heard a child’s voice calling, “Help me, Sheriff.”

“Where are you?” Garrett called.

“I’m up here, please help me.” The voice quivering with fright seemed to be coming from behind the curtain, but he couldn’t see anything because the lighting was dim.

“What are you doing back here?” The sheriff called. With all the strange things going on he began to get nervous, so he pulled his gun. “Come on out of there!”

“I can’t, I’m stuck up here. Please help me.”

The voice was coming from up in the rafters. It would be just like one of those damn fool kids to climb up there and get hurt. The mayor, when he got back into town, would find some way to blame it on him, he just knew it. “Hang on Kid, I’m coming.” He said as he holstered his gun and started climbing the ladder leading to the catwalk over the stage.

  
  
  
  


~*~*~*~*~

  
  
  
  


Tony parked Loki’s van and then opened the door so that his husband could climb out without dropping the cake. Then he opened the side door to take the carved pumpkin from Natasha so that she could jump down. They walked into the auditorium where Tony and Natasha signed up for the _Haddonfield Jack-O-Lantern Contest_ and Loki dropped off the cake.

It was already after six and the place was filled to capacity with townspeople as well as students and faculty from the neighboring Asgard Academy. Tony bought a stack of tickets so that Natasha, dressed as a Ninja, could try her hand at the games. She won a bracelet at the _Fish Pond_ , Loki’s cake at the _Cake Walk_ , had her face tattooed, and watched as James was covered in whipped cream at the _Pie-In-The-Face_ booth by an Asgard student when it was called over the loudspeaker for everyone to gather at the stage for the pumpkin contest.

Tony led his little family up front so that they’d have a good vantage point when they heard Deputy Barton asking around, “Have you seen Jock?”, “Anybody see the Sheriff?” The answer was always no. The average sized brunet had a puzzled look on his face. “Well, since Sheriff Garrett must’ve gotten called away we’ll have to pick another judge for the contest.” He glanced around the room full of people and his sharp eyes landed on Tony. “Mr. Stark, would you judge for us?”

There was loud applause urging Tony on and he raised his hand for quiet. “I thank you all for your support, but I’m afraid I’m going to have to decline since I have a conflict of interest. He smiled proudly, “I already have an opinion on which pumpkin is the best,” as he hugged his daughter.

There was more applause and laughter at Tony’s polite bowing out and then a shout went out, “Let’s have Mr. Jarvis, he’d be fair.” “Yes, Jarvis!” “Come on, Headmaster!” Deputy Barton waited for a very dignified man in his early sixties to come forward. In a cultured British accent, he said, “I am most gratified for your confidence in me. I’m not sure that I am the best judge at pumpkin carving, but I would be pleased to render my opinion.”

Barton asked a stage hand, “Are all of the pumpkins lit?” The man nodded yes and then the deputy tried using the microphone, but it wasn’t working so he yelled, “Please turn out the lights.” The room turned dark. “Open the curtain, Rhodey.” Barton called.

The curtain started to part and a golden glow from the Jack-O-Lantern’s flooded the room, but the drapes only partially opened leaving many of the pumpkins blocked from view. An excited voice yelled out, “It’s stuck, Clint!”

“Pull it harder.” Barton shouted back still holding the useless microphone.

They could all see a tall and thin coffee-complexioned man with his graying hair, close-cropped and who was wearing a deputy’s uniform. They saw him tug increasingly harder on the pulley for the curtain. Finally, he gave one last good yank and the curtains wrenched open. For two seconds everyone oohed and aahed over the illuminated spectacle and then there was movement from above … a body hurtling from the rafters and coming to a jerking stop as it dangled above the Jack-O-Lantern’s from a rope around its neck. There were screams and gasps as the body of Jock Garrett slowly swayed on its creaking tether.

Loki grabbed Natasha, turning her toward him so that she could no longer see the gruesome sight. Clint tossed the non-operating mic away as he shouted, “Shut the curtain, Rhodey!” and “Someone turn on the lights!” The curtain quickly closed, and the lights came back on.

Tony glanced around seeing Thor appear and start talking to the deputy that was standing by the curtain pulleys and then was startled when he noticed James standing right behind him. “When did you get here?”

“I walked up at the same time you did.” The younger man smirked, “I was over at the _Pie_ booth, but I’m not surprised that you didn’t notice me with it being so crowded in here.”

Loki looked between his nephew and his husband. “I’m taking Natasha out of here.”

James nodded at him. “I’ve got to help Headmaster Jarvis get the kids back to the Academy. Once everything’s calmed down there is it okay if I come over to your place?”

“Sure, James, once we get the princess settled down and in bed we can talk. See you in a bit.” Tony said as he gripped the younger man’s right elbow. The family of three managed to squeeze through the panicking throng and made it back to their van. Loki sat in back with a curious Natasha asking a lot of morbid questions as they wound their way along the eerily foggy country lane.

  
  
  
  


~*~*~*~*~

  
  
  
  


It hadn’t taken them long to settle Natasha down, she wasn’t upset as much as she was inquisitive. She’d never liked the pompous sheriff as he’d never been very nice to her daddy. She’d heard the man making snide comments about her father being ‘a limp-wristed queer’ behind his back when Garrett thought she couldn’t hear him, and she was more curious to find out if the sheriff was alive when he fell and if so why hadn’t he yelled for help? She also said that she’d heard that hanged people’s eyes popped out and their tongues turned black and she wanted to know if it was true. The doorbell rang, and Loki had never been so happy to escape from his daughter’s company explaining that it was probably James and he’d better go and let him in leaving a tongue-tied Tony stammering, “Those are all good questions and I’ll do my best to find out the answers for you, Princess. Now shut your eyes and go to sleep. Daddy and I will be downstairs talking to James if you need us.” Then he kissed her good night and escaped to follow Loki.

  
  
  
  


~*~*~*~*~

  
  
  
  


They were all sitting around the rectangular, vintage chrome and Formica table with James and Tony drinking bourbon and Loki sipping a glass of Merlot. “I know Steven died, but not the full story.” Tony looked at Loki’s pale face and asked, “What happened to him?”

Loki gulped some wine and stared down at the center of the avocado green table top, scratching at it with the fingers of his left hand. “Steven ran away during a blizzard and the snow drifts were so high that it took over a month for it to melt back enough to find his remains. Between the elements and the animals there wasn’t much left to identify him, but Jock was in the search party and he recognized Steven’s coat; it had a label with his name on it sewn into the collar.”

Tony was astounded, “He was identified by a label in a coat? That wouldn’t hold up in a court of law.”

“Well, who else could it have been? There weren’t any other children missing in the area. It had to be my brother!” James argued.

“There could be a lot of reasons why someone else was wearing Steven’s coat. Without a more accurate identification there’s nothing to say that Steven didn’t survive.” Tony reasoned. Letting that sink in he asked, “Is there anything that you’re aware of linking Steven, Doc, and Sheriff Garrett?”

“Jock, Sif and I grew up together here in Haddonfield. Sif met Doc when we went away to college and he was finishing up his residency. They married and moved to Chicago, but she missed her family, so they moved back here just before Steven disappeared; I don’t think Steven had ever met Doc.” Loki murmured as he stared into space.

James was quiet until his uncle had finished and then he began turning his head slowly from side to side as if he was trying to avoid facing something as he murmured, “When my mother went away.”

Tony looked at Loki puzzled, “What does he mean by that?”

Loki had a pained and haunted look on his face. “My sister, Hela … she … she was hurting herself and she was hurting James and Steven. I had to make the decision to have her put away.”

“You never told me about this. Why didn’t you tell me that it was you that had to decide?” Loki gave his husband a silent look of misery and Tony squeezed his shoulder in support, but knew there was more to the story, so he kept digging. “Okay, so she was committed … and if she was committed the papers had to be signed by a judge and a physician while law enforcement carried out the order. Where’s the judge now?”

“Judge Fury was from the county seat in Dorset. He was killed in - an - accident …” Loki’s voice petered out as his and Tony’s eyes locked together.

James finished for his uncle, “He was trapped in his overturned car last week. It caught fire and he burned to death. Since it was out in the middle of nowhere and there were no witnesses, it was thought that he fell asleep at the wheel.”

Tony snorted, “So we can add the judge to the list. Who else would Steven have it in for?” Tony looked from Loki to James.

Loki’s green eyes were heavy with guilt and sadness. “Me, I suppose. If he blamed the others then he must truly hate me, but I … I … had to do something … my sister was insane. Hela never forgave my parents for moving from England to here and ran away when she was sixteen. She was eight years my senior and stayed away while our parents were living. They died while I was away at college and though I was only nineteen, they left the business and this house to me. Until then, Hela lived the life of a nomad, never staying long in one place and dragging the children with her. I didn’t even know about the boys until she finally returned to the area, living like an itinerant and moving around for almost a year before she took up residence on an abandoned farm with no electricity or running water. I tried to get her to come stay with me so that I could take care of her and the boys, but she refused. I even tried to find both boy’s father’s, but Hela had never shared who they were, so I dropped the search. Then the school found bruises on James and with both boys being malnourished, Protective Services and the Sheriff were called in. She accused me of orchestrating the whole thing to steal James and Steven from her and then she became violent. Doc did the examination, Judge Fury declared her incompetent, and Jock took her to the state psychiatric hospital for treatment where she escaped and died by self-immolation three days later.”

James turned to Loki as he was speaking, his face ashen when he added, “The judge had given Loki temporary custody and we came here to stay. Steven believed our mother … he always believed her, and he was so angry with you that he didn’t say a word … not even to me. He just sat in the office staring out of the window at the snow. Later that night he crawled out of that same window and ran away; we never saw him again.”

“I still say that Steven could have survived.” Tony jabbed his finger into the table over and over for emphasis. “Twenty years is a long time. He could walk right past you on the street and you’d never recognize him. That’s more plausible than the idea of a ghost coming back from the dead to exact revenge on the people who’ve wronged him and his mother.”

Loki looked at his husband earnestly, “You make it sound so believable, but maybe that’s because I’m so exhausted. I don’t want to think about this anymore. I’m going upstairs to check on my daughter and then I’m going to bed. Good night, you two!” He ran his fingers through his dark hair wearily as he left the kitchen.

James tossed back the rest of his drink and smiled, “You should’ve been a lawyer, Tony, because you do put together a pretty convincing argument. Well, I guess I’d better be getting back to the academy . . .” The brunet looked tired and regretful as he continued, “You know, a lot of our kids were at that carnival tonight and it makes me feel like the biggest shit in the world high-tailing it out and leaving everything to Maria, the Headmaster, and the rest of the staff to take care of. I’m sure some of the kids will be having trouble processing what happened and may need help to calm down, so it may be late in the day, but I’m sure I’ll see you tomorrow.” James got up and dumped his ice cubes into the sink before placing his glass in the _burnt orange_ tinted dishwasher.

Tony walked him to the door laughing quietly, “Sometimes I forget you’re not the snot-nosed kid that Loki introduced me to. The one that couldn’t wait to join the Army and now you’re Dr. James B. Barnes … the head psychiatrist at a school for disturbed children. He came over and gave James a one-armed hug and felt something hard, “Sorry, James, I should have remembered about your arm.”

Lifting his artificial left arm awkwardly, James chuckled sardonically, “Hey Tony, forget about it … I do. It still pinches sometimes, but it isn’t bad for a prosthetic … the VA did a pretty good job. And who better to understand the tortured lives of troubled children than someone who’s been tortured themselves?”

“Let me take a look at it sometime, one of my subsidiaries is a prosthetic design firm. I could send them your info and see if they could suggest any improvements.”

“That’d be great, thanks Tony!”

“Hey, no problem that’s what families are for.” This time he gave the younger man a full embrace.

“I feel the same way. I think Loki made a mistake divorcing you … I’ve been in your corner all along and … do I get the sense that something is going on between you two?” Backing away, James looked meaningfully into Tony’s eyes.

“It’s too early to say, but thanks for your support.” Tony said as he walked the brunet to the cream-colored door.

“Any time … good night Tony!” James called as he walked out into the damp night air.

“Good night, James, and be careful, huh?” Tony cautioned.

James turned, grinning impudently and hollered up the drive, “You don’t have to worry about me.”

Tony waved before bolting the door behind his nephew-in-law and then he took a tour around the downstairs making sure everything was closed and locked. Strangely, he found the window in Loki’s office unlatched and Tony remembered finding it in the same condition last night. Tony didn’t know about Saturday because Loki had wanted to do the lock up after hearing about Doc … he said it made him feel safer and after the shock he’d had, Tony didn’t want to argue with him. As he closed the latch a little shiver ran up his spine when a stray thought said it was Steven’s ghost doing the unlocking. Tony scratched his beard at his foolishness as his normally logical mind decided to have a talk with his husband about the risk of leaving a downstairs window unsecured.

Tony jogged up the stairs and tapped quietly on Natasha’s door. Peeking his head into her sunshine yellow room with rainbows and sunflowers covering the walls, he saw that she was asleep and hugging a purple unicorn while snugly tucked in under a fluffy pink comforter with tutued ballerinas dancing across it. Moving to the next door over he knocked gently and heard a, “Come in.” He found Loki sitting up in a queen-sized, four-poster bed under the covers and reading. “I thought you were beat. Can’t sleep?” Tony asked as he walked over and daringly climbed into the unoccupied left side of the bed, his back to the velvet tufted headboard with his legs outstretched and his bare feet a blur of motion as he nervously swept them side-to-side.

Not quite up to their earlier flirting with the events of the past days catching up to him, but still needing comfort, Loki decided to forego propriety and not evict his husband tonight. Dropping his book in his lap he sighed and laid his head on Tony’s shoulder, “Can you blame me? I know that Jock could be an ass, but he didn’t deserve to die like that and every time I close my eyes all I see is his frightful face.”

Tony quickly scooted closer until he could smell the underlying scent of blackberries and suede from Loki’s shower gel. He put his arm around his husband’s lean waist soothingly before reaching up to curl a tendril of the long dark hair around his finger. “I bet I could wear you out enough that you wouldn’t think or dream about anything except me.” Tony boasted as his arm snaked lower again, his fingers teasing at his husband’s pajama clad hip.

Forgetting the grisly images at the encouragement of his husband, Loki giggled, ducking down further on the bed to get away from the tickling fingers. Tony followed him and with their faces only inches apart, mahogany eyes staring into deepest emerald, Tony leaned closer and took his husband’s soft lips with his own. The warm mouth opened willingly and as he explored the familiar depths he heard a ringing in his ears. They both stopped, their eyes turning warily to the phone next to the silvery lamp on the bedside table, as it rang ominously again.

* _Bella Notte_ \- love song from _Lady and the Tramp_

  
  
  
  


*<>*<>*<>*

  
  
  
  


_To be continued_


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

Loki picked up the cordless handset to look at the caller ID. He bit his lip apprehensively when the familiar “ _Private Caller_ ” was displayed. Tony was tired of the games and the pain his loved ones were being forced to endure. The phone rang a third time and Tony ordered abruptly, “Answer it!”

Loki hesitated for a few seconds before pushing the speaker button and stammered, “He.he.hello?”

“ _Uncle-my-Loki? I’m all alone and it’s so dark … would you come and get me?_ ”

Kneeling up and reaching over his husband, Tony put his finger over the speaker on the phone and spoke softly to Loki, “Ask him where he is.”

Loki nodded as the muting hand was withdrawn, “Steven, where are you?”

A quavering child’s voice said, “ _I’m at Pym’s farm._ ”

Again, Tony placed his index finger over the handset, whispering, “Tell him you’ll meet him there in thirty minutes.”

After he removed his hand a pale Loki said, “Alright, Steven, give me time to get dressed and drive over; I’ll meet you there in thirty minutes.”

The voice wavered fearfully, “ _It’s dark here and I’m all alone … please hurry._ ”

His father’s heart being pulled by the childish voice, Loki tried to reassure, “I’ll be as quick as I can.” The call disconnected leaving an ominous dial tone and with a shudder, Loki disconnected his own end.

Tony took Loki’s head in both hands and kissed him hard on his pliant lips before jumping out of the bed and pointing at the phone. “Call Deputy Barton and tell him to meet me in twenty minutes at Pym’s farm. We’ll get there earlier than he’s expecting and nab the little shit, but just in case tell Barton to place a deputy here, outside of the house. You and Natasha stay inside. I’ll take your car to help convince him that I’m you and then I’m going to take care of this “Steven” business once and for all. Now where’s Pym’s place?”

“It’s an abandoned farm about ten miles from here, over on Foster Road. Hank Pym and his daughter moved away several years ago after his wife died. It’s been deserted ever since.” Loki got out of bed with the phone clasped tightly in his hand coming to stand next to his husband. “Please be careful, Tony, ghost or man Steven has proven himself very dangerous and I’d like to finish what we started earlier.”

Tony pulled Loki to him planting an enthusiastically sloppy kiss. “Hold my place, Lokes … I’ll be back soon.” Then he hurried downstairs to collect his shoes as he heard Loki talking to Deputy Barton.

  
  
  
  


~*~*~*~*~

  
  
  
  


Turning his engine and lights off Tony coasted through the open gate of the dark and overgrown farm. He parked and got out of the unlit van, closing the door silently while taking in the eerie surroundings dappled in darkness and moonlight as he stealthily crept up the drive. His intention was to wait for the deputy and to scout out the deathly quiet farmstead in the meantime. As Tony rounded the corral while keeping to the shadows he heard the harsh creaking sound of rusty hinges and looked up in time to glimpse the form of a young blond boy disappearing through the barn door.

“Oh no you don’t, you little shit.” Tony grumbled as he forgot about waiting for Barton and pursued the ethereal figure into the rickety wooden structure. By the time he got through the door the boy was nowhere in sight, but a few straws drifted down from the hayloft. The smell of damp and mold clung heavily to the air as Tony cautiously climbed the unsteady ladder, praying it would hold together as it ominously groaned under his weight. As he reached the top and warily stepped off onto the upper floor, his nose twitching from the chaff stirred up in the air, Tony slowly pulled the flashlight from his pocket and shone it around the area.

In the corner standing as still as a statue was a young boy with hair the color of winter wheat, its straight length almost reaching his shoulders. Wearing a red plaid jacket, he didn’t utter a sound while his luminous blue eyes stared ahead as if he was looking at something far away. Tony stepped forward his arm out, trying not to spook the boy, he called out, “Steven, please, let me help …” suddenly he felt a pain in his head and then he knew only darkness.

Dazed and confused, Tony felt hot and at first thought he’d fallen asleep in the sauna at his penthouse again, but then his throat itched, and his lungs burned; he heard a crackling sound and realized he smelled smoke. Jerking up he saw that the hay in the loft had been set ablaze. Catching movement, his eyes tracked to a scrap of red plaid as it slid out of the window. A wave of dizziness attacked him as he stood and took a moment to get his bearings, but Tony’s sense of self-preservation was strong, and he avoided the flames, reaching the window as the loft behind him became an inferno.

There was the slanting roof of a shed or outbuilding immediately under the window that the boy had utilized in his escape. Tony slid down the tin panels, dropping to the ground and was after the boy like a shot. With his longer legs it didn’t take Tony long to catch up and grab the youngster. As soon as he was caught the boy stopped all movement acting like an automaton as Tony shook him roughly and growled, “I’ve got you now, don’t try to get away.”

Tony was puzzled at the absence of any response from the boy as he heard sirens in the distance and soon after a vehicle with flashing blue lights come careening up the drive. It was followed a few seconds later by a black Jeep Wrangler. They both skidded to a stop sending gravel and dirt flying as they parked in the yard, flanking Loki’s van. James ran from the jeep and to the pair while Deputy Barton could be seen through his windshield on his radio, presumably calling in the fire. “What are you doing here?” Tony asked his _nephew-in-law_.

“I called Loki,” the brunet said as he stared at Tony’s charge warily.

“Oh? Well, I’m glad you’re here because I found our little ghost.” Tony pulled the boy forward by the shoulder of his coat, shaking him to and fro. “Go on; tell him what you’ve been up to, _Steven_.”

Coming out of his daze, James glared at Tony and pulled the boy protectively toward him as he knelt in front of the small blond and looked into his emotionless face, saying, “I can’t tell you how he wound up out here, but I can tell you he hasn’t been making any phone calls.” 

Indignant, Tony snapped, “You’re crazier than he is, I caught him right where he said he’d be. He has to be the boy that’s been calling Loki and on top of that, he just tried to burn me to death in there.” Tony motioned toward the conflagration with his chin.

Standing up James maneuvered the still unresponsive boy behind him protectively as he shouted angrily, “And I’m telling you it wasn’t him. This is Peter Parker, he’s one of my patients at the academy and he’s mute. He’s been in a nearly catatonic state since he watched his mother die in a fire.”

The deputy had emerged from his vehicle and silently joined the two men in a virtual standoff, ready to step in if things escalated beyond just a screaming contest. He quietly watched them glaring at each other, his attention going back and forth like a tennis match, his hawk-like eyes missing nothing. “Are you sure, Bucky?”

The brunet sighed, “Sure as I’m standing here.” He hugged the motionless boy to him supportively. “I need to get him back to Asgard, he’s freezing and in shock.”

The sound of a wailing siren was heard in the distance and before long a firetruck pulled into the yard from the other side of the farm. “I’ll catch the firemen up and meet you back at the academy,” he said waving at the engine before turning to his boyhood friend. “Look Bucky, I agree with Stark. I think it’s mighty odd that the kid was out here like the phone call said if he’s not involved, so I’ll meet you at the academy and then we’ll get it all figured out.” Deputy Barton eyed the boy suspiciously.

“I’m coming too.” Tony jumped in.

James looked like he was about to object, but instead firmly said, “Okay, you can come back to Asgard with Clint … seeing as he’s the law I can’t do anything to stop him and considering all that’s gone on I guess you’re entitled, but you are not interrogating this child. If I have to get Mr. Jarvis to call in a lawyer to protect him I will.”

“No one is trying to railroad the kid, Bucky; we’re just trying to get to the bottom of some strange shit not to mention a few murders.” Barton tried to soothe the psychiatrist’s ruffled feathers.

“Fair enough!” James said as he nodded his head at Deputy Barton; the man he’d known from kindergarten to high school, enlisted in the army with and then they’d both been sent to Afghanistan together. “Peter will ride with me; I’ll see you at the school.” He said leaving no room for argument as he shepherded the silent boy into his car and soon departed the blazing farm.

Acrid smoke and smoldering embers filled the night sky as four firemen wearing turnout coats and white helmets hurriedly disembarked from the red tanker engine. Two began unwinding a hose while the driver of the engine began setting the dials to control the water flow. The third with black stripes down his helmet denoting his rank as captain headed toward the deputy. Raising his gloved hand, he said as he was silhouetted against the orange glow, “Hey Clint, what’s the sitch?”

Waving back, the deputy grinned, “Hey Jasper, sorry to call you and your guys out, but I think it’ll be a quick one. More than likely set with some type of accelerant … gas would be my guess, to get rid of my friend here.” He nodded his head in Tony’s direction. “Pretty sure that everyone made it out, but I know you’ve got to check.”

The captain shrugged, “No worries, we just finished up a call at the Stanlee place … nothing big, he was inventing again and got his “new and improved” automatic hair trimmer stuck on his head. By the time we got there it had plucked his scalp like a chicken.” Captain Sitwell chuckled good-naturedly until he remembered the news from earlier in the evening, “Sorry to hear about Jock, Clint”

“Yeah, he could be a class A-1 jerk, but he didn’t deserve to die like that. We think that whoever was responsible might have had something to do with this, too, so keep an eye out for any evidence. I’ve got to head over to Asgard and question a possible witness, let me know if you find anything, huh?”

“Sure thing, Clint.” The captain nodded before turning back to the fire and shouting at his men as he jogged forward, “It’s a definite arson, guys, so watch your backs and keep a look out!”

Clint watched the blaze a few more minutes before turning to Tony and asking, “You riding along with me or driving yourself?”

“Nah, I’ll take Loki’s van … he’d kill me if I left it here and some ghost,” he raised his hands into monster claws and went, “Ooooh,” then chuckling continued, “took off in it.” His attempt at levity was to cover up how nervous the spooky place was making him. “See you there!” Tony nodded at the deputy who was already removing his hat, so he could slide into his vehicle.

Noticing how nervous the older man was Clint asked, “Do you want me to watch and make sure no goblins grab you before you get into your car?” Clint tried not to laugh as he pinched the bridge of his nose with his thumb and forefinger, but lost the battle as he openly guffawed.

Tony chuckled along, but couldn’t resist one parting shot as he grumbled, “Smart ass,” good naturedly before getting into Loki’s van and following the deputy out of the derelict farm’s drive.

  
  
  
  


~*~*~*~*~

  
  
  
  


Moving slowly through the fog shrouded landscape it took Tony thirty minutes to get to the academy on the other side of the county from Pym’s place. His thoughts kept circling over the improbability of the boy walking from the school to the farm; the roads might as well have been on the backside of the moon for all the traffic he’d passed, so that let out the possibility of hitching. Just as he turned into the stone gates with a bronze sign embossed, Asgard Academy, Tony decided he did believe in ghosts and gave his tired brain a rest. 

He followed right behind Deputy Barton as they wound around the large circular drive and both pulled into visitor’s parking spaces. He reasoned that James must’ve parked his car in the staff parking lot since the jeep wasn’t visible as he made his way under the portico to the front of the school.

Before they could reach for one of the heavy brass knockers the right half of the double doors was opened by a tall, attractive brunette dressed in a long-sleeved black t-shirt over a form-fitting pair of black yoga pants; her no-nonsense attitude was belied by the pink bunny slippers she wore on her feet. Nodding her head, she said, “Clint, Mr. Stark … right this way.”

Clint winked at her playfully before taking off his hat and saying, “Maria, you’re looking good tonight … I especially like your shoes.”

Even her glare didn’t wipe the cocky grin off of his face so she opted for a cold shoulder and ignored him as she turned, not waiting to see if they followed her she led them through the foyer down a hallway and through a door marked:

  


Headmaster

Edwin Jarvis

  


“Gentlemen, through here, please,” she said haughtily, the smirk on her face while staring at them both denoted her opinion of the absurdity of the appellation as she opened the door and motioned them inside.

They were met by a tall and lanky older man with what was left of his dark hair combed over the top of his balding head. He was wearing a black and gray striped bathrobe over blue flannel pajamas with a pair of brown leather house shoes covering his feet. He’d been pacing before a smoldering fireplace and at the opposite end of the spacious office sat two chairs adjoining a desk set in front of a heavy-draped window. “Headmaster, this is Tony Stark and of course you know Deputy Barton,” the brunette introduced their guests.

Moving forward the older man held out his hand to shake first the officer’s and then Tony’s hands, “Of course, Deputy and Mr. Stark, thank you so much for coming. This is such a bewildering business and after the tragedy at the carnival … I just don’t understand what this world is coming to.” He motioned with his blue-veined hand at the chairs in front of his desk, “Please Gentleman, won’t you be seated?” and then walked around them to the credenza at the side wall and lifting the lid from a crystal decanter halfway filled with a warm, brown liquid asked, “Brandy?”

Clint’s deep blue eyes looked longingly at the liquor and placing his hat on his nervously jouncing crossed knee as he cleared his throat, “Thanks anyways Mr. Jarvis, but I’m still on duty.”

“Oh, of course, I do apologize…” the older man looked toward his second guest and asked, “Mr. Stark, would you like something to brace against the chill?”

Tony grinned gloatingly at the deputy and said, “Don’t mind if I do, Mr. Jarvis.”

There was a light knock at the door and as it opened a pleasingly plump red-head popped her head in, “Sorry for the interruption, Edwin, but when I heard we’d be having company…” she pushed the door open farther so she could roll in a laden cart, “…I took the liberty of making a strong pot of coffee, some sandwiches and I also brought some of the mixed berry pie from dinner tonight.” Eyeing Tony and the deputy, she added, “A body needs to keep up their strength when their running around the countryside looking for murdering maniacs.”

Mr. Jarvis patted his wife reassuringly on the shoulder, “Thank you, my dear, for your thoughtfulness. You know Clint of course, from his many attempts at courting our Maria, but this fine fellow is Tony Stark. Mr. Stark this is my wife, Ana Jarvis.” After the introductions were made, he continued, “Did you and James get young Peter settled in the infirmary?”

“Yes dear, I took the mite up some cookies and warm milk …” she shivered before clasping the collar of her lilac, terry-cloth robe tighter around her neck in sympathy before continuing, “he was half frozen as we helped him into his pajamas and got him into bed. James was going to give him something and stay with him until he fell asleep, and then he said he’d be right down.”

The older woman looked stubbornly defiant at the deputy and Tony before saying, “Peter can’t have had anything to do with any of this insanity; not only did I see him myself at 8:30 bed check, but he’s a good-hearted boy. I’ve looked into those gentle blue-eyes and there’s nothing but decency and love that shines back out of them … the eyes are the mirror to one’s soul, you know?”

There was a light knock before the door was pushed open and James joined them in time to watch an excited Tony jump up and point to the back of his head in answer to Mrs. Jarvis, “I don’t know about his soul or how good he is, but I didn’t give this goose egg to myself.” The brunet was rubbing at his skull tenderly.

“Let me take a look at that,” James said as he maneuvered a squirming Tony around to the light. When he moved the dark hair out of the way he could see an angry lump that was oozing blood.

Tony jerked away, exclaiming, “Ouch! Leave it alone, Loki can take care of it when I get home.”

“Stop being such an infant. I don’t think it’s going to need any stitching, but it does need to be cleaned up, and then you can go home and let Loki kiss it better.” Glancing at the headmaster where he’d been standing in front of the fireplace with his wife, he said, “Sir, I’ve got some supplies in my office to get Tony taken care of so that we won’t have to disturb Peter in the infirmary and then we’ll be back down to discuss what all of this means.”

“Of course, James, please take good care of Mr. Stark.” The older gentleman nodded and then he smiled at Tony, “Don’t worry, Mr. Stark, the boys have given James a lot of experience treating their misadventures.”

Ana started to move forward, “Would you like some help with Mr. Stark, James, or perhaps I should look in on Peter?”

The handsome brunet gave her a cockeyed grin, “Don’t be silly, Ana, I can handle Tony’s little booboo … it’s nothing but a slight bump so please don’t feel sorry for the big baby, and with what I gave Peter, he’ll be sleeping soundly until morning. You stay, and we’ll be back in a few minutes.” He yanked on a resistant Tony’s elbow. “Don’t make me tell ‘Tasha what a wimp her dad is.”

Tony nodded his head and said politely, “Thank you for your concern, Mrs. Jarvis, but I’m sure James can get me fixed up.” Tony followed his nephew-in-law out of the room and up the walnut paneled stairway to his office on the third floor of the west wing. All of the while grumbling about not getting his brandy, being disrespected and that he was a genius billionaire philanthropist … not a wimp.

To distract from the litany, James asked, “Have you talked to Loki, lately?” as he stopped in front of a heavy wooden door embossed with his name and title.

Tony started to shake his head, but hissed when it made his head throb. “No, but he’s safe for now; Clint has a deputy watching the house. I’ll call him after we’ve all discussed the evidence.”

James took a brass key out of his pocket and unlocked the door. At Tony’s look he confided, “The kids like to play practical jokes and I also keep a contraband bottle of bourbon in my right bottom drawer … for personal, medicinal purposes you understand?”

Tony grinned as he followed James inside, “And since you are acting as my “personal” physician at this moment, I hope you aren’t stingy when you prescribe that, Doc.”

The light when turned on had the large room bathed in a warm glow. There were floor-length drapes in a garnet brocade that framed the two dormer windows and a vintage mahogany desk with its matching brown leather chair on casters which faced away from the farthest window. Two garnet wing-back chairs were sitting in front of the desk, and a brown leather chaise that matched the desk set was positioned along the far wall with a large mirror hanging over it adding extra dimension and to broadcast the afternoon sun throughout the room. The side walls were covered with filing cabinets and shelves filled with books and memorabilia.

As they crossed the room, their steps were muffled by a thick, vintage garnet and gold oriental carpet. Tony recognized Loki’s familiar style of mixing functionality with old-world charm and throwing in the warmth of the familiar in the bric-a-brac which from their prominent positions on the cluttered shelves must have been cherished gifts.

“Have a seat,” James motioned his uncle-by-marriage to his desk chair. Tony followed his instructions while James bent and opened the drawer containing the whiskey and glass. He set them both in front of Tony and said, “Help yourself,” as he continued to gather the supplies from the adjoining bathroom that he needed to take care of the older man’s wound.

Tony looked up, noticing he could watch everything that was going on behind him through the mirror on the wall across the room and said, “I’ve been thinking about this…” He motioned to his head and winced as James soaked a cotton ball in disinfectant, dabbing at the bloody contusion. “Easy there …”

The face in the mirror showed amused contrition as it said, “Sorry!” Continuing to swab away the blood, but more gently this time. “You were thinking?” He prodded.

“Oh, yeah. I was thinking that Peter couldn’t have been the one to wallop me. I don’t think he’s strong enough, for one thing, and the clincher is that he was standing in front of me when I got this.” He motioned again to the back of his head. “Now that I think of it, the kid was acting strangely the whole time … almost like he was dreaming and there was no reaction to me at all. He just kept staring off like he was looking at something or someone behind me.”

Tony watched James’ reflection as he thought about what Tony had said. His expression became anxious as he soaked another cotton ball, dabbing against the sore area more roughly. Tony winced, but decided not to comment. “I’ve been thinking myself, Tony. What if you were right and Steven didn’t die in the snow and moved back to Haddonfield as an adult? We wouldn’t have recognized him after all of this time. What if he and Peter were meeting and connected over the tragedy of their mother’s mistreatment and fiery deaths before deciding on their plan of revenge?”

Horrified by what he’d heard, Tony watched his nephew-in-law through the mirror carefully as he asked, “Peter’s mother died in a fire, too?”

James’ reflection in the mirror stared intently at the tube of antibiotic before twisting the top off while jerkily nodding his head as he glanced nervously around the room stammering, “Yes … yes … s-she did.”

Tony couldn’t help a shudder as he thought of his own near miss with the flames and said, “I guess it’s possible that they could’ve bonded over something like that, but how would they have even met? The kids here are always supervised, aren’t’ they?”

James looked as if he was deep in thought before staring at Tony in the mirror and saying, “Yes, the boys are supervised, but not every second of every day and we don’t even know what Steven looks like, he could be anyone … like that handyman that’s been hanging around town.”

“You mean, Thor? But he seems so normal. Wouldn’t it take a real lunatic to plan this and wouldn’t someone like that stand out?” Tony asked, curiously.

James silently squeezed out some of the antibiotic ointment onto another cotton ball and dabbed it gently against the aggravated flesh. He stared intently at the back of his uncle-in-law’s head, “You’d be surprised how normal a psychotic can act.”

Tony had paused and watched the younger man’s movements before saying, “I know that psychology isn’t my specialty, James, but surely the pressure of acting normal would crack the thin veneer between sanity and insanity? How could someone hide that day in and day out without letting anything slip?”

James became still and his eyes unfocussed as he stared off into space and murmured hauntingly, “It would be difficult … like a person treading water in the middle of a dark, bottomless ocean … working hard …” he sighed, “so hard to hold their head above water … but they get tired … and it becomes harder and harder to stay afloat until they can’t anymore … and they begin to go under…” He stared off into space.

Tony looked up from where he was sitting at James’ desk and into the mirror over the chaise. It gave him the perfect vantage point to watch the younger man as his face lost all animation and his eyes turned dark and tortured. He remembered what Ana had said about the eyes being mirrors of the soul and asked, “Don’t you think you should turn yourself in, James, before you reach the point where you go completely under?”

James grabbed a ceramic statuette from the shelf behind him, crashing it against the back of Tony’s head and sending the unconscious man to the floor, as he mumbled vaguely, “I don’t think so.” Crouching down over Tony’s body, he fished the billionaire’s cellphone out of his pants pocket before dropping it on the floor and crushing it with his foot. Then he sat calmly in his chair before pulling his own cellphone out of his jacket and quickly dialed a familiar number. He knew his number would be recognized because he’d programmed it into his uncle’s phone; it was only a matter of time before it was picked up.

After two rings he heard the line connect and then Loki’s excited voice calling, “ _James?_ ”

“Yeah, Loki, it’s me.”

“ _Is Tony alright?_ ”

James looked at the body sprawled at his feet and nodded his head, “Yes, he’s fine. He’s with Clint and their chasing Thor, the guy behind this whole mess. We almost had him, but he broke free and took off through the woods. Tony’s cell phone was broken in the fight so he couldn’t…”

“ _Are you sure he’s alright?_ ” Loki’s disembodied voice asked.

“He’s fine, I swear. He might have a few bruises, but he’ll be fine. He couldn’t call you, so he asked me to tell you not to answer the phone no matter what. Now that Thor … I mean Steven’s on the run, he could gain access to anyone’s phone and we don’t want him to know that you’re at home.”

“ _Then he is alive,_ ” a dumbfounded Loki said and paused before adding, “ _I don’t think he would chance coming here now that he’s been discovered, but just in case, Clint sent Deputy Rhodes to watch over us._ ”

“Steven has been cunning enough to hide right under our noses as your handyman. Even with Clint and Tony on his trail he could give them the slip and possibly get passed the deputy. Where’s he posted?” James asked, slyly.

“ _He’s parked at the corner. That way he can see down the lane at the side of the house and the road that runs in front._ ”

“That sounds good. Just in case, I’m going to come and stay with you and make you a little safer. I’ll see you soon, gotta go!”

“ _But James …_ ” There was a click as James ended the connection. He grabbed the lamp from the desk, yanking the cord from it and tying it around Tony’s hands. He did the same with the cord from the phone base on his desk, using it to tie around Tony’s feet and then he pocketed the handset. There was a baseball bat that had belonged to his brother and he’d kept it on a rack under a shelf where pictures of his mother and Steven were kept. He reverently took it down and collected his coat before going out of the door and locking it behind him. He wasn’t worried about anyone hearing Tony if he happened to wake up and start making a ruckus. The west wing held the offices and classrooms of the school which were all closed and empty at this time of night.

Being an Army sniper had been good training for James as he stealthily crept through the hallways to cut the phone lines before stopping at the infirmary. He popped his head in the door, whispering, “Steven?”

Peter had been laying, apparently asleep, but his eyes snapped open at the call and when he lifted the covers you could see that he was completely dressed right down to his red flannel coat. He walked like an automaton toward the voice that had called to him. His face was expressionless, his eyes dull like he was sleepwalking. James guided him with his good hand as they made their way down the backstairs and out of the kitchen door.

  
  
  
  


~*~*~*~*~

  
  
  
  


The first thing Tony knew was that his skull was being crushed by a friggin’ big hammer. He tried to get up, but he found that his hands and feet had been bound. Willing himself to take a breath and analyze the situation he felt sure that what was wrapped around his wrists was an electrical cord. He’d frantically attacked the bonds, trying to stretch them apart and worked up a sweat which acted as lubrication, allowing him to slide one of his hands through. Sitting up, he was momentarily overcome by dizziness before he was able to release his other hand and then attacked the cords binding his feet.

Once free he jumped up, ignoring the pounding in his head and raced for the door to find it locked. He beat against it, shouting for help, but no one heard him. Frustrated after not finding his cell or the desk phone and in desperation, he headed for the window and threw it open. Leaning out over the ledge Tony could see the black Jeep with James and the boy driving away, leaving him trapped and unable to warn Loki that death was on its way.

  
  
  
  


*<>*<>*<>*

  
  
  
  


_To be continued_


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is what you've all been waiting for, so please enjoy the final chapter of, _When Steven Calls._
> 
> I hope you all have a safe and happy Halloween!

Chapter 7

Desperately he thought, ‘they’re on their way to kill Loki.’ He searched his pockets again for his phone and when he couldn’t find it, he looked around the room before discovering the crushed pieces near where he’d been laying on the floor. The desk phone had been yanked out and even if he could find the handset that was missing, it still would have been useless.

Tony went back to the window and stared down at the sea of black asphalt. If he fell he might survive, but probably break something even if he landed right and then again, the fall might very well kill him, but what other choice did he have? Sit here and let that maniac kill his family? “Never!” Tony avowed as he crawled out onto the ledge that now seemed very narrow. He turned to face the building as he inched along, stumbling only once when his shoe caught on a crack in the masonry. He very nearly fell, but he caught himself at the last minute and let out a huge sigh of relief when he grabbed ahold of the drainpipe, shinnying down until he was on solid ground.

He ran around to the front of the school where his car was parked when the front doors opened and out spilled Clint, Mr. Jarvis, and Maria. “How’d you get out here?” Clint called. “When you guys didn’t come back we began to look for you and couldn’t find you.”

“It’s James!” Tony gasped as he ran to his car. “He’s the killer and he’s on his way to Loki’s. You’ve got to warn him and your deputy. There’s no telling what James will do. I’m going to head over their now. Follow me!”

Clint nodded his head as Tony jumped into the van and revved the engine before screeching out of the parking lot. The blond then turned to the headmaster and his assistant. “You heard the man … I’ll call Rhodey from my cruiser; Maria, you call Loki and let him know about James.”

Maria raced off for a phone leaving Mr. Jarvis standing at the door. “Please do be careful, Deputy, our little community would be hard pressed to recover from the loss of its acting sheriff after the horrific death of its original.”

Clint waved his hat and said wryly, “Thanks for the pep talk, Mr. Jarvis.” He threw his hat to the other side of his car and jumped in, starting the engine and speeding out of the school after Tony. The mic of his radio in his hand, he called, “Rhodey, come in. Rhodey, this is Clint, answer me damn it!” In his frustration he pulled the microphone closer to him and discovered that it’s wires had been pulled out. “Bucky, you crazy piece of shit!” He growled as he reached for his cell phone, but it wasn’t in its holder where he always kept it. Angry and embarrassed at how Barnes continued to be one step ahead of them, he raced down the highway with his lights flashing and noticed the squad car beginning to ride roughly. He was losing speed and he could hear an ominous thumping sound. Pulling over on the shoulder of the road he went around to the other side of the car and screamed, “ **SHITDAMNMOTHERFUCKIN’A!!!** ” Both tires on the passenger side of the car had been slashed. He was going nowhere.

  
  
  
  


~*~*~*~*~

  
  
  
  


There was an unknown truck parked behind the dilapidated barn in the field across from his uncle’s property that James had wanted to use as a vantage point. He’d planned to park his Jeep there and observe the deputy, so he’d turned his lights off and was able to slowly cross the dark field, undetected. He was upset when he found his hiding spot was already being used. After studying the truck, he saw that it was old and beaten up with the tires rutted in the soil, so he figured it must’ve been abandoned here for a while and since it was out of sight, that was why he’d never noticed it before.

He said to the boy, “Stay here, Steven, and I’ll be back for you,” as he stealthily crept out of the Jeep and made his way around so it would look like he was coming from the house. He waited until he had the deputy’s routine down and when the handsome black man was staring down at his scanner, he walked up to the car and chuckled, “Man, Rhodey, you’re lucky I wasn’t that nutcase running around here or you’d be a gonner.”

The deputy jerked his head up, his pistol already pointed at Barnes’ head. “Damn it, Bucky, you almost got your fool head blown off. What are you doing here?” He asked as he opened the car door and got out to stand by the younger man.

“Clint sent me to spell you. He said for me to stay with Loki and to tell you he wanted you to set up a roadblock over on Myers Road.” The brunet said as he clasped his arms around himself to give the appearance that he was cold, but he was really clutching his bat.

“Why would he do that?” The deputy asked, puzzled.

“I don’t know, but he must’ve had a reason.” James said as he took a step back.

Frustrated, Rhodey growled, “That doesn’t make any sense. I’m going to call…” As he turned to reach in the car for his radio, James slammed the bat down over the the deputy’s back and Rhodes fell, motionless to the ground. James bent to check the carotid and felt a faint flutter, pleased that he hadn’t killed the honorable warrior as he headed back to his Jeep to collect the boy.

  
  
  
  


~*~*~*~*~

  
  
  
  


Loki had Natasha clutched tightly to him as they watched the downstairs phone ring. He’d had them both dress in warm clothing just in case they needed to leave the house quickly. “I don’t understand, Daddy, why can’t we answer the phone? It might be Poppy calling us.”

Loki bracketed his daughter’s face with his long-fingered hands, “James said that it was very important to not answer the phone and let the bad man know that we’re home. Your Poppy and the deputy are trying to catch him and put him in jail, but he’s still out there, so we must be very cautious.” He nodded and smiled at his daughter’s stubborn expression, so much like her father’s even if they weren’t related by blood.

She sighed, giving into the ridiculousness of the situation. She knew that her Poppy would protect them, and if that crazy Steven dared to come into their home and try to hurt her Daddy, she’d make him very, very sorry!

All of a sudden there was a banging on the backdoor making them both jump. They could hear James’ voice calling, “Loki, it’s okay, let me in.” Loki hugged his daughter tightly to him and said, “Stay right here, Darling. I’ll just go and let James in and then I’ll come right back.”

“But Daddy …” Natasha started as she reached for her father.

He got up and putting his index finger over his lips he shushed, “I’ll be right back, alright?” He waited until she nodded her head and then turned to go into the kitchen. Loki could see his nephew through the panes of glass in the door, so he quickly took off the chain and released the deadbolt. “James, what …?”

James turned and pulled a small blond boy in through the door with him. “Look, Steven, it’s Uncle-My-Loki.” Then he turned to his uncle and said, “Steven’s come home to me, Loki, but he’s mad and won’t talk to me.” He stepped forward pulling the boy against his side as a stunned Loki stepped backward, trying to keep some space between them.

“James, who is this and what are you doing?” He backed up against the kitchen table, trapped as he realized the danger he and his daughter were in.

“Steven came back to me and he’ll forgive me when the last one is dead … when you’re dead, Loki … for what you did to our mother.” His expression was cold and calculating as he ripped the baseball bat out of his coat and brandished it at his uncle. Natasha came running into the kitchen and pivoted, her left leg supporting her as she spun and did a high side kick, her heel impacting the bat and knocking it out of James’ hands to clatter onto the floor. 

While James was disoriented, Loki lost no time in grabbing his daughter and running with her into the front of the house. They only had a few seconds to find a hiding place before James would find them. Loki hid Natasha under a rolltop desk, gently pushing the chair in and then raced to the corner to hide behind the drapes in his showroom. “Come out, come out, wherever you are.” James crooned as he dragged the silent boy along with him.

Loki was afraid that his crazed nephew would find his daughter’s hiding place and decided to make a run for it and draw him away, keeping her safe. Taking an antique dagger from its scabbard on the wall, Loki held it behind him as he stepped out. The mirrored walls of the room made it look like there was a multitude of Loki’s waiting as James entered through the doorway; he was dazed and confused as he looked around, trying to discern the correct receptacle for his wrath.

James giggled maniacally as he used his artificial arm like a club to swing at the dizzying images. As he edged closer to the ‘real’ Loki, his uncle threw the perfectly weighted dagger and it spun end over end to lodge in James, flesh and blood wrist. Whining he licked at the blood, but as Loki tried to dodge past him, he grabbed him by his braided hair and yanked him down to the ground. As his daughter screamed, Loki yelled, “Natasha, stay where you are! No matter what happens, don’t you dare leave that spot!”

Loki reached out, fumbling along the wall until he found a cord and yanking on it, untied a crystal chandelier. He let the twine slide through his fingers as the heavy light dropped from the ceiling, barely missing James on its way down to shatter on the floor. Startled, he released Loki who scrambled his way into the kitchen before being caught again. “James, please don’t do this.” He pleaded, but it fell upon an unhinged mind.

“Steven,” James shrieked and motioned to the silent boy to come closer, “Watch me make Uncle Loki pay for what he did to our mother.” He raised his metal arm over his uncle’s head, but before he could bring it down he was hit in the back by a flying hammer. Thor quickly stepped out of Loki’s office where he’d been hiding and snatched up the hammer again, brandishing it at the stunned man.

The boy seemed to come out of his daze and cried, “I’m not Steven, my name is Peter and I want to go back to the school.” Needing comfort, the boy followed Natasha as she came out of hiding to run into her father’s arms with Peter squirming his way into Loki’s hug as well.

Holding his two arm fulls tightly, Loki rocked the children soothingly and murmured, “Shhh, it’s alright. Everything will be alright now.

The backdoor had been left ajar and they looked up as Tony ran in, holding the tire iron he’d retrieved from the back of the van as a weapon. Thor waved the hammer at him and grinned, “No worries, Mr. Stark, we’ve got it all taken care of.”

James held his arms tightly about himself as he knelt on the floor, swaying back and forth, sobbing. “It’s my fault … it’s all my fault. Stevie was always getting all of the attention because he was sick and had asthma. I talked him into running away that night … it was just to get him into trouble with Uncle Loki. He was always so perfect and everybody loved him. They barely paid attention to me at all.” He sniffled and wiped his dripping nose on his shoulder, “It wasn’t supposed to end like that … he was only supposed to be outside for a little while, but I fell asleep before I could tell Uncle Loki he was gone … he wasn’t supposed to die and it’s all my fault.” James moaned, his mind overwhelmed with guilt and grief.

  
  
  
  


~*~*~*~*~

  
  
  
  


Loki was in his bedroom packing for their trip when the phone rang. He hesitated a moment, before answering it and then sighed with relief when he recognized the voice of Haddonfield’s new interim sheriff - at least until the elections next year when he was certain the post would become permanent. He hollered out of the door to his husband-to-be-again, “Tony, come here for a minute.”

He could hear feet pounding up the stairs and then his fiancé popped his head into the bedroom, “Whatcha need, Lokes, I was just starting my sweep downstairs and only got as far as flipping on the answering machine.”

Loki waved his hand, motioning for Tony to join him. As they both held the handset close to their ears, Loki said, “Alright, Clint, go ahead.”

“ _Well, we found a whole audio file on Bucky’s computer of him coaching Peter to be Steven. Here let me play one…_ ”

A young boys high-pitched voice asked, “ _Uncle-My-Loki? I missed the bus; can you please come to the school and pick me up?_ ”

Clint said, “ _There are scads of them on here as well as written scripts I guess is what you’d call them, stashed away in his filing cabinet. We think he sort of programmed Peter to sneak into his office and use the phone there. The boys don’t have cells phones or extensions in their rooms and using a line anywhere else in the school would have been too risky._ ”

“So, you think he had Peter do it?” Tony asked.

“ _Correctomundo! Bucky broke through Peter’s inability to speak by hypnotizing him not too long after he started treating him. Then the years of guilt, the kid’s resemblance to his brother and the coincidence of how his mother died must’ve sent Bucky over the edge. I think that’s when he came up with the idea and started planning this whole crazy thing. Through hypnosis he turned Peter into a docile accomplice, able to follow simple instructions and voila … Steven was resurrected. Fortunately, the shock at your place seems to have snapped Peter out of it and a major plus is that he doesn’t remember a thing. Now he and your daughter are as thick as thieves, so it’s a good thing you guys decided to give him a home; you shouldn’t have any trouble adopting him with him being an orphan and all._ ”

“I always wanted Natasha to have a sibling and when I contacted Virginia to officiate for this afternoon she assured me that she would smooth over the red tape, so it won’t be too long until Peter will be an official Stark,” Loki confided.

“Yeah, Pepper’s great at snipping through official bull shit,” Tony brushed that aside to come to the truly important part, “but who in the hell tried to knock my head off in that barn? It couldn’t have been James because he arrived at Pym’s farm at the same time as you did, Clint.”

The acting sheriff chuckled, “ _Oh ho, Tony Stark – Boy Genius, you’re letting me down, old son. I bet Loki can tell you how he did it._ ”

Loki grinned, “I’m sure after James hit you from behind and set the fire, which prevented Peter from joining him at the ladder, that he instructed the boy to meet him outside and then he ran to his car which had been hidden around the far side of the barn. Hearing the siren, he simply used the back way to loop around the property and come out down the road from the main entrance. Then he drove in behind Clint like he’d just arrived.”

“Ah, so that’s how the fire engine got there without coming in through the front gate.” Tony rubbed their foreheads together. “Pretty smart, Babe, and you weren’t even there.”

Clint snickered again, “ _It helps if you grew up in the area, right Loki?_ ”

“Sheriff Barton, I’ll thank you to not give away the secrets of my magic!” Loki said solemnly, but it was spoiled by a snicker. “Seriously though, if we are divulging secrets, how did Thor get into my house to save the day?”

Clint snorted, “ _Well, I asked him that and he said he was getting nervous about all of the mysterious deaths and knew it was just a matter of time before the fingers would all be pointing at him, since he was new in town. That’s when he parked his truck in the field across the way to break into your office and steal any cash you had laying around._ ”

Tony sputtered, “He broke in to steal from …”

“ _Technically he didn’t break in, he said the window was already unlatched and though he looked, he couldn’t find any cash, so I could charge him with unlawful entry, but I think that would be a little ungrateful of you since he did save your husband and probably your daughter’s lives._ ”

Loki smirked, “Clint is right, Tony. We could hardly have the man we owe so much to, arrested, now could we? What are you going to do with him?”

“ _Well, I ran his prints for priors and though he got into some scrapes as a juvenile, his records are sealed and from what he says it wasn’t anything major … mainly starting fights and drinking underage. Since he’s good in a pinch and until Rhodey gets back on his feet I’m a man short … I offered him a job._ ”

A stunned, Tony exclaimed, “You’ve got to be kidding! Haddonfield is going to be under the protection of a would-be thief?” Loki began to laugh so hard he fell backwards onto the bed he’d been sitting on, rocking back and forth.

“ _Well, I guess that’s all cleared up. I’ll see you at the courthouse in three hours, Stark. Don’t make your best man have to come and get your sorry ass!_ ”

Loki wiped the tears from the corner of his eyes and straightened up to ask, “Clint, are you bringing the children with you or is Idunn collecting them?”

“ _Actually Loki, they’re coming with Maria and I. She took pity on me and consented to being my date and she’s really great at wrangling kids, so you won’t have to worry about Tony wandering off._ ”

“Ha-ha, Barton.” The brunet grumbled good naturedly as he stuck his tongue out at the phone.

“ _We’ll make sure the kids are there on time, ‘cause it’s not every girl who can be her Daddy’s Maid of Honor._ ”

Getting serious, Tony said, “Thanks for everything, Clint!”

“ _No problemo, catch you two later. Ciao!_ ”

They hung the phone up, just staring at each other in silence as Loki sighed, “I wish I could see James. I don’t want him to think I’ve abandoned him.”

Tony caressed his thumb over Loki’s high cheekbone, “You know Dr. Foster said it would be a while before he’s stable enough to receive visitors. She’s the best, so you’ve got to trust her assessment, Babe.”

“I know, but he’s my family, my responsibility and it’s hard to let someone else take care of him even if it is for the best.” Loki said somberly.

“When James is ready, we’ll all be there for him, but until then … Tony hated seeing Loki unhappy so he broke the moment by waggling his eyebrows and saying, lasciviously, “…today is our wedding day … do you want to start the honeymoon early?”

Grateful to his husband for an excuse to change the mood, Loki giggled and tackled Tony flat to the bed, their faces barely inches apart where they rested against the pewter duvet. “Why Mr. Stark, I thought you’d never ask.” He continued closer until their lips were pressed firmly together with his tongue sliding along the seal until they parted and it was invited in to play with its partner. They broke the kiss as Loki pressed small nibbles and kitten licks down Tony’s neck until he could nuzzle his nose into his favorite spot right behind his husband’s earlobe. He inhaled deeply, immersing himself in the sweet scent of bergamot with hints of citrus, spices, and lavender from Tony’s very expensive, Ambre Topkapi perfume.

“Ummm, you smell delightful …” Loki looked up and spied the bathroom door remembering the last time Tony joined him there and even though he’d desired his husband greatly, he’d lacked the courage to invite him under the warm spray. As the idea pervaded his synapses, his pupils dilated until the black overcame the deep emerald of his irises as he said, “On second thought my husband-again-to-be, you are highly odorous and are in need of a shower.” He waggled his own sculpted eyebrows.

“Mr. Prins-Stark …” Tony said reverently before murmuring in awe as it suddenly dawned on him, “you never changed it. That should have been a sign that even clueless me could pick up …” before continuing in a happy, boisterous voice, “I like the way you think, Sweetheart … I do feel a little dirty.” Suddenly a shy look crossed Tony’s normally arrogant features as he asked, “Hey Lokes … before we go in … would you strip for me? I’ve been dreaming of it ever since the day of your migraine.”

Loki grinned and began to crawl backwards off of Tony and the bed, “If that is your wish.” When he was standing beside the bed he inclined his head and asked, “Some music, if you please?”

Tony squirmed up the bed, stuffing the pillows behind his back and began to clap in time to the burlesque music with the heavy bass drum, cymbals and the sliding trombone that popped into his head … “Da da da, da da da da…” as Loki pulled at the left sleeve of his sweater until his pale flesh was free, swaying his hips in time with Tony’s music. “Da da da, da da da da…” He turned his back to his audience, his still clothed right arm over his head as he reached up and slowly slid the fabric off. Once it was bare he ducked his head out of the sweater and twirled it over his head, tossing it at his partner.

Loki grinned as the love of his life caught the pullover and brought it to his nose to sniff as he pounded his free hand over his heart and let out a wolf whistle, “That’s right baby, take it all off.

Loki had never made a production out of removing his clothing before and he had to admit the gyrations and the smoldering looks from Tony’s whiskey-colored eyes had him palming his erection through his black jeans. He popped the button and slowly pulled down the zipper, then turned his back again and shimmied the pants and his briefs down his legs before kicking them off to drape over the bedpost. Looking past his shoulder, he blew a kiss at his husband and said deep and sexy, “The first one in the shower gets his dick sucked first.” And then he took off running with the dimples of his creamy white ass winking at his lover.

Tony was too stunned by the show as he palmed at his own crotch. It took him almost a minute to slowly maneuver out of the bed, hopping on one foot and then the other to remove his black and white Classic Converse High Tops. “Damn it, Loki, that’s not fair, you had a head start!” He tossed the shoes behind him as he raced toward the bathroom, disrobing on the run and trying not to castrate himself with his underwear. By the time he made it into the marble-tiled room he found his _Trickster_ already in the shower and letting the water run over his long raven hair before it cascaded down his body as he indolently pulled at his engorged cock.

The glass door was already covered in drops of condensation and hanging open when Tony arrived to step in. Conceding defeat, he joyfully moved his lover out of the spray and against the tiled wall, his pale body contrasting delightfully with the dark green and gold veined marble. Loki moaned as his back hit the coolness of the tiles after soaking in the heat from the water. “Tony, please…”

Tony dropped to his knees, crooning, “Don’t worry, Baby, I’ve got you.” He rubbed his beard over the swollen flesh while working up a mouth full of saliva. Then he slid his moistened lips over the flushed crown and took it to the back of his throat, using his tongue to massage the veined shaft.

An insensible Loki grabbed his hair and tried to use the short strands to steer the velvety mouth where he wanted it to go and to hurry up or slow down as he liked. His breathing became deep and sonorous, speeding up into gasps as he growled, “Yes, Tony, yes!”

One tug too hard and Tony reached up to disentangle the long, delicate fingers and increased his efforts. Since it was their first at anything except kissing since their divorce was final over a year ago, his knees were screaming at the pain from being ground into the hard flooring. He cupped Loki’s scrotum, giving the soft sack and it’s contents a gentle tug and that was all it took until his husband began to thrust with Tony having to hold his hips against the wall to keep from being choked. Loki was alternating between gasping and groaning as his spend spooled out and onto Tony’s eagerly awaiting tongue.

Loki’s legs began to shake and give way as he sank down to join his husband on the floor, his chest working in heaving gasps. He rubbed his nose into the sodden beard before moving up to bestow a well-deserved kiss, “Ah, Love, you haven’t lost your touch.

”

“Have I told you lately that I love it when you call me, ‘Love’?” Tony asked as he stared into his husband’s responsive face.

“Then I shall never stop calling you it, because that is what you are to me … my one and only love.” Their arms clasped around each other in an easy embrace and they gently kissed.

“And as much as I’m loving this, my knees are killing me. I also think we’d better actually get cleaned up before the hot water runs out.” Tony smirked as he climbed to his feet and helped a still unsteady Loki up as well.

“But what about you?”

Tony stretched up to kiss his taller husband on the tip of his sodden nose. “Don’t worry about me, as they say in _Rocky Horror_ , I’ll get mine tonight.” And then he winked.

  
  
  
  


~*~*~*~*~

  
  
  
  


In Loki’s office the latch on the window turned and locked on its own as the phone outside the door and in the foyer began to ring; the caller ID was listed as, _Out of Area_. Between the running water and their other exertions, the occupants in the master bath failed to hear the sound. After four rings the answering machine picked up and the message said: “Hello, you have reached Prins Antiques and Interior Designs, Loki Prins-Stark, proprietor. Unfortunately, I am unable to answer at the moment. If you would like to schedule an appointment please leave a message at the tone …”

After the beep a young boys voice began to record, “ _Uncle-my Loki, Bucky shouldn’t have done what he did and I made sure he was stopped. I won’t let anyone hurt you again; we’re family and I’ll be with you 'til the end of the line!_ ”

The call disconnected and the phone emitted a dial tone.

  
  
  
  


_~Finis~_

  
  
  
  


* _The Stripper_ by David Rose

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6-9F_HWel5g

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for taking the time to read my little Halloween tale. I hope you enjoyed it as much as I’ve enjoyed writing it for you. I’d also like to tell you how much I appreciate all of the comments and kudos … you guys are awesome!

**Author's Note:**

> If you like then please leave a kudo and/or a comment to feed the hungry writer. :)


End file.
